Laying Claim
by JanuaryEclipses
Summary: SasuSaku. An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.
1. Happy UnBirthday!

**Author's Notes:** I know, I know! Another story…I just wanted to give this one a test drive, just to see how it'd do. I'll still continue with Dear Annie and Black Shadow, but I'm currently having writer's block with both. So I'm hoping that if I keep writing about _something_, an idea will come to me eventually. This story might not be that long anyway, I'll just have to see how it goes. Anyway, just to answer your questions, even though I know I'll be asked anyway, everyone believes that the Haruno's are apart of a big clan. We don't really know that, since we haven't seen anyone else from her family, nor is there talk of a big Haruno clan.

If you don't know what the title of the chapter means, you don't watch enough of the Disney classics.

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**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: [SasuSaku] An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 1: Happy Un-birthday!

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**.**

It wasn't her birthday, which is why Sakura was surprised when she found the little blue box on her desk. It wasn't particularly big, and it wasn't all that eye-catching, either. All she knew is that someone had snuck into her room while she was on a mission, and had left it. A white silk ribbon was wrapped around it, tied into a bow at the top.

Now really, who would send such a thing? She didn't have a boyfriend, and it was early autumn, so that was no time for anyone to be giving her gifts. If anything, she should probably start looking for a gift for Naruto. His birthday was next month, after all.

A secret admirer? No, that didn't seem quite possible. Even though she was good looking, everyone she knew was paired up or wasn't interested. Except for Lee, who was neither, but she doubted he'd use this much subtlety. Knowing him, he'd either come up to her, flash a grin, and deliver the present in some "youthful" way, or he would leave a note. 'To: My beloved Sakura-san From: Lee, the Green Beast of Konoha!!!!!' The only flaw in that theory, was that there was no note. Besides, blue wasn't really Lee's color.

An enemy? Now that seemed most likely. With her luck there would be an exploding tag inside of it and it would blow off her head or something of the sort. She was a Konoha kunoichi, after all, there were bound to be some people from other villages who disliked her. It wasn't all that uncommon. Another thought was a prank from Naruto and Kiba, but she doubted they would go to the trouble of tying a ribbon around it.

The only way to know what it was, was to open it.

She picked up the box in her hand, turned around, and sat on her bed. It felt light. Sakura tugged on the ribbon until it came loose and it fluttered down to the floor. Well that was step one, now all she needed to do was lift the lid and—

**Oh, will you get on with it already? **Her inner self screamed at her.

She took one breath to calm her other half, and another to set her mind. She gingerly lifted the lid…and gasped.

It was a necklace. A chain held a silver heart pendant, on the right side near the bottom, there was a red stone. On the left side near the top, was a white stone. It was beautiful. No, even that did it no justice. It was amazing. It was probably expensive.

She shook the thought out of her head quickly. No, it was probably just some cheap silver with fake gems. She only knew two people who were that rich. One of them was paired with Tenten, and the other…the other, who had been released from his probation two months ago and had been promoted straight to Jounin, even going on a few ANBU missions, _he_ had no interest in her whatsoever.

Which left her back at square one.

The pink-haired kunoichi stood in front of her mirror, and, after a quick search with her chakra to check for any traps, she put it on. It really did look nice. Oh, Tsunade-sama would be so jeal…

"AHHHH! I was supposed to check in with Tsunade!!!" How could she have forgotten?!

She rushed out the door and headed towards the Hokage tower.

**.**

**.**

Tsunade wanted to laugh as her second apprentice slid into her office, out of breath.

"I'm…I'm here…Tsunade-sama." She said in between breaths.

"You're late." The Godiame turned to the other person in the room. "Very well then, you've got the mission. You're dismissed, Sasuke."

Sakura looked up, not having noticed him until her mentor said something about it. The last Uchiha nodded and turned to leave. His eyes shifted down towards her, he smirked in the typical Uchiha fashion, and left.

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow at her. "Admirer?" She gestured towards the necklace.

Sakura fingered it while talking, "Actually, I found it in a box on my desk. No card."

"Ooh! A _secret_ admirer!" Tsunade grinned at her. She loved this kind of thing. "Mind if I take a look?" She watched as Sakura reached around behind her neck to undo the clasp, when she frowned. She tugged the chain continuously around her neck.

"The clasp is gone."

An unidentifiable look passed over Tsunade's features. "Let me see." Her student leaned over her desk and Tsunade took the pendant in her hands, turning it over. Her honey-colored eyes narrowed a fraction, but that didn't mean Sakura didn't see it.

"Tsunade-sama?"

She looked up cheerily, letting the circle fall back into place around the Jounin's neck. "It's a lovely necklace. Expensive to boot."

Sakura told the older woman her "cheap silver" theory. Tsunade laughed outright. "Silver? Sakura, that's white gold. And those aren't fake gems, either. Don't give me that look; I know what I'm talking about. Anyway, the white stone is a diamond. The red stone is…" She paused. "It's a red diamond."

"But…"

"Do you know how rare a red diamond is?" Sakura shook her head no, green eyes betraying confusion. "They're considered to be the rarest in the world along with blues and oranges. Not only that, they can only be found in the mountains of the Land of Earth." To which Tsunade could have _sworn _she had just sent a certain _someone_ there on a mission.

Her apprentice looked at the necklace again in awe. It was clear she was not used to receiving such gifts.

"Now," Tsunade continued. "I was informed the mission went well, so you've got today and tomorrow off. Dismissed!" Sakura bowed and left the room, still mulling over the chain around her neck.

Tsunade waited until she was well out of ear-shot before yelling, "SHIZUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

**.**

**.**

Haruno Sakura could not wait to get into the bath and have a nice, hot soak. However, she couldn't take her necklace off. The clasp had already mysteriously disappeared and when she tried to slip it over her head, it seemed like the chain actually _shrunk_.

_Alright,_ she thought, _enough is enough!_

She went into her bedroom and pulled a kunai out of her pack, thinking she could always buy another chain. She put the weapon to the metal and ZAP! The darn thing actually shocked her! Actually, it was more like static electricity…but still! She tried again to receive a more intense result. After five minutes, her arms were tingling slightly. Was it a warning? When it shocked her, a feeling had passed over her. It was foreign to her. It was annoyed…and slightly amused at the same time.

Deciding to see if she could rust the metal to get it off, she got into the tub.

Relaxing for a few minutes she felt again for the clasp, just in case, but it still remained absent. She had already tried using some of her "super-strength" to see if she could break the chain, but it wouldn't budge. The metal didn't even bend!

She once again took the kunai and brought the tip down to the chain. Results were immediate.

A shockwave sent her entire body jerking forward in an involuntary action, her breath was knocked out of her, and water sloshed over the rim. Shaky hands dropped the kunai onto her now damp rug, and realization passed through her.

"Hey! That hurt damn it!" She yelled at it.

_Good._

Sakura shrieked. Her inner self, for the first time she could remember, was speechless. **What was that?**

"A voice…" She told herself. It had been a voice, one she thought was familiar, but couldn't recognize. It had come and gone so fast. It left her feeling empty…and a little violated. She was scared, for the first time in a long time, she felt scared. _No! I won't let this stupid thing get to me!_

**Shannaro! I'm gonna kill whoever gave me this!**

That night she went to bed with several weapons hidden in strategic locations, her body tense and wary. Who would give her such a thing? An enemy, it had to be an enemy. That _thing _could read her mind…and…and shock her! It wasn't fair! She had no advantages!

The nights were getting colder, and Sakura hugged the blanket tighter. Half for protection against the cold, half for protection against _it_. This was ridiculous, she would never get to sleep tonight! Her mind was racing too fast, and whenever she closed her eyes, they'd pop open in an attempt to ward off any enemy. Unexpectedly, her lids drooped, and her entire body got warmer with a heat she was sure wasn't hers.

_Sleep, little one. _

It was like someone hit her with chloroform.

**.**

**.**

Sakura woke up the next morning, feeling very well rested. It was surprising. She had heard those that had undergone a sleep jutsu, which was what she suspected had been put on her, woke up groggy and even more tired than they started out. Confused was an understatement. Why would a potential enemy place her under a sleep jutsu, and allow her to get a good night's rest? More problems arose when she looked around to see her room. Wouldn't he kidnap her, or kill her while she was sleeping? She had been vulnerable after all.

Deciding to go to Ino's, she slipped on her usual red shirt and tan skirt combo, checked her hair, and walked out the front door to her apartment. Once she reached the Yamanaka Flower Shop, she walked in and spotted a bored looking Ino behind the counter. Her eyes brightened when she saw her friend.

"Sakura! Thank goodness, I've been so bored! And I wanted to—" She stopped mid-sentence. "What's that?"

"What's what?" She looked down. "Oh, the necklace. I got it as a _gift_, and now I can't take it off." The blonde missed the "gift" sarcasm. It was a curse, this little thing.

"Who would want to? It's gorgeous!"

They talked for a while about people that could have given it to her. Probably some feudal lord that wanted to thank her, or curse her, and things got awry. Sakura looked at the clock to see that thirty minutes had passed.

"I'm hungry, wanna get some ramen?" Sakura asked.

Ino rolled her eyes, "You're more like Naruto than you want to believe. But sure."

The bells above the door chimed, and a jounin she didn't recognize walked through the door. "Ah, Miss Haruno. I've been sent to inform you that the Hokage needs to see you immediately."

Sakura frowned. "I'm supposed to have the day off."

He shrugged, "I'm just following orders."

Sakura looked at Ino, "Maybe after I get done?" Ino nodded, and watched while her friend headed to the Hokage Tower.

**.**

**.**

The roseate haired woman was sitting in front of Tsunade's desk, where the older woman was murmuring about someone being late. Finally, she sighed. "Fine, he doesn't need to be filled in as much as you do, anyway. We may as well get started." She gestured to the chain around her student's neck. "Do you know what that is?"

"It's a necklace."

The Godaime shook her head. "That's no ordinary necklace, Sakura."

"Well, I kind of figured that out…"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "This is _serious_, Sakura." It really must have been if the Legendary Sucker was acting _this_ focused on something. She then muttered something along the lines of, "I'm going to _kill_ him when he gets here." She took a deep breath. "I mean what I say when that is no ordinary necklace. I suspect that when you try to take it off by force…?"

"It shocks me."

She sighed once more. "Sakura, you're in for a history lesson here, so listen closely. About a hundred years ago, a law was created that would allow women to be bought to anyone who paid the right price." Sakura was about to protest the unfairness, but a raised hand cut her off. "Anyway, it was later that they announced only men from prominent clans could buy women who weren't from clans at all."

Mouth agape, Sakura pointed to herself, and mouthed _Me?_

"Yes, I'm afraid, you. That isn't all, though. These women were given some form of jewelry with a special jutsu on it, and only a select few can perform it. The clasp vanishes after it is put on the intended person, the chain shrinks so that it cannot be fit over the head, and a warning is given out if it is to be taken off by force. These warnings are issued by the soon-to-be owner of the person, to be put into the necklace, along with a small amount of his chakra. Some owners have their charges to automatically be set aflame, the eviler ones could have them spontaneously combust. The person who bought you was nice enough to—"

Sakura angrily stood up. "I belong to no one!"

Tsunade responded by pounding both her fists on her desk. "Sit down! You must accept the facts whether you like it or not!!" Sakura sat, tears in her eyes. "Now," a calmer Hokage continued, "I was saying you should be thankful. Whoever bought you was nice enough to only shock you. Would you rather have blood filling up your lungs? A hole in your stomach so that all the acid could eat you internally? Kidney stones the size of golf balls? I've seen it happen, you know."

Sakura slid lower in her chair. So maybe shocking wasn't so bad…but what about… "Are there usually voices?" She asked.

Tsunade blinked at her. "Yes, the jewelry of choice also allows telecommunication between the owner and his," she winced, "possession."

"Shouldn't they have disallowed owning women by now? It's modern day."

Tsunade studied her student closely, "It's an ancient law, Sakura, it just died out on its own. People eventually forgot all about it, and there was no reason to change the law. Until now, I see."

A question came into Sakura's head. "Ah, Tsunade-sama. You're going on about the "master" part of the deal." Confused eyes met honey-colored ones. "Who owns me?"

Tsunade opened her mouth to speak but stopped, sensing something. Here we go. "You're about to meet him right now." There were three raps on the door and with an "Enter", the door swung open.

"You wanted to see me, Tsunade?"

The poor girl stiffened.

Wait a minute…

She _knew_ that voice…

Sakura spun around in her chair to meet none other than the cobalt black eyes of her former crush. The black sheep. The traitor.

Uchiha Sasuke.

She didn't even realized she'd lunged at him in absolute fury until she found herself pinned to the ground, his body hovering over her, and his smirking face not even an inch from hers.

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**Author's Notes: **Just a little side-story that I'm working on. Comments are appreciated. Hope you liked it!


	2. Poor Unfortunate Souls

**Author's Notes: **Woah. I guess this isn't a side story anymore. Didn't think I would get so many reviews, thanks to everyone!

**Title Reference for Chapter One: **"Happy Un-Birthday!" from _Alice in Wonderland_

**Title Reference for Chapter Two: **"Poor Unfortunate Souls" from _The Little Mermaid_

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**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 2: Poor Unfortunate Souls

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Sakura inhaled shakily a few times. After the initial shock had worn off, she had tackled Sasuke. _Uchiha _Sasuke. She still couldn't believe she had done it. It had been out of pure anger. Anger that was still coursing through her at this very moment.

He had _bought_ her. Like some sort of _animal_. Well that was just fine and dandy, but it didn't mean that she'd have to do what he said. She would be so defiant, he'd _want _to disown her! Haruno Sakura, kunoichi of Konoha, would service no one. She was nobody's pet, and nobody's property. Her being did not have a price tag. Sasuke better hope that she had come refundable, because there was no way he was keeping her.

"Get off, jerk." She spat.

Sasuke's smirk only intensified after that. He wasn't the type to laugh out loud, but it was right about now that he looked like he would if prompted.

"Yes, princess."

Sakura glared further. He was mocking her, and both of them knew it. The moment the prodigy let up, Sakura was out from under him before he could stand up. Her fists were balled at her side in a white-knuckled grip, and she was shaking with rage. Tsunade was watching this with an underlying fury in her system. She mentally decided she'd take it out on Jiraiya later.

"_You_." Sakura hissed through clenched teeth. "You **bastard**." Before she had time to think, her inner-self completely took over, and she was flying at the Uchiha before she knew it. Her brain was too cloudy to register Tsunade yelling at her to stop. All she could think about was her former crush's smirk, and how she needed to wipe it off his face.

Sasuke himself was just standing there, looking like he wasn't going to block her oncoming punch, nor was he going to dodge it.

All of this was in about the span of one second.

She was so close to satisfaction. A mere centimeter away when she felt a ripping pain course through her. It was like she had torn every muscle in her body, and it had brutally been repaired. Electricity was coursing around her, and only when she saw it did she realize she'd been shocked again. Sakura dropped to her knees in front of him and bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain. She wouldn't cry in front of him. She wouldn't.

Sasuke kneeled down beside her and tilted her chin up. "You shouldn't be doing that, Sakura." His voice was gentle. To Tsunade, it probably sounded like an edgy reprimand, but she had known him a lot longer than the Hokage had. She was the one he snapped at when they were little, downgrading her with his biting words. Compared with almost anything he had ever said to her, the last sentence had been gentle.

The memories had her in a state once more, and the quest to hurt him was renewed.

Sasuke helped her stand up, and she grabbed at the chance. She figured that he was the one who shocked her, so if she caught him off guard, she might be able to send him through the wall.

Her fist was heading straight for his gut, and then he surprised her. With speed that surpassed even Lee, he caught it easily one-handed. She didn't even have time to glare before she felt a hand encircle her waist and crush her to his chest. It was then she discovered that she was shaking, and were it not for the hand holding her steady, she would have fallen. Her head lolled against his chest in exhaustion she hadn't realized was there, and she was panting unevenly. It must have been the electrifying shock she had received, because there was no way she'd get tired after a mere two punches.

"You should listen to me when I tell you something." It was a whisper in her ear, and his breath made her shiver lightly. Sasuke gave a small snort of laughter before picking her up and settling her into an armchair in front of the Hokage's desk, before placing himself in the other one. Tsunade blinked for a minute, not quite sure what to say.

"Right then," she started. "I've already filled Sakura in on everything, except for a few things." She turned her attention onto her apprentice. "I probably should have told you earlier, but you can't attack him. It is an automatic response, and Sasuke has no control over it." Tsunade stole a quick glance to the last Uchiha, and saw he wasn't happy about this fact. "It originally wasn't needed, but eventually buyers wanted a kunoichi, and it was used as a precaution to stop any assassination attempts. Many of them acted like you did.

"Many of them also tried to do nothing but take their jewelry of choice off, thinking that they would be free. Sadly, their warnings got so intense that they eventually died from internal wounds. The only one that can take it off of you, Sakura, is Sasuke."

"So," Sakura managed to choke out. "He could _kill_ me if he wanted to?"

"No more than he could even if he didn't own you. Above all, you are still a ninja of Konoha, and if he killed you he would be committing treason against his own village." She gave Sasuke a pointed look at that point, and he gave her a look that clearly stated that he understood everything, and that he wouldn't go that far.

"Tsunade-sama," She knew she was going out on a limb here, but she knew that she needed to try. "If he, say, didn't want to own me anymore, all he'd have to do is take off the necklace?"

The Godaime shrugged. "I'm afraid it isn't that simple. There is no "disowning". If, by some strange turn of events, Sasuke decides to take that necklace off of you, it would do no good. The necklace is only there to prove that he hold's ownership over you. It's like a wedding ring in a sense, it shows you're taken. The women I was telling you about before constantly regretted putting on their enchanted jewelry, because they think they would have never been owned. You were his possession the minute the transaction went through, the necklace is only there to ward off any potential lovers."

"So…you mean…"

"I'm afraid that you can no longer have any "boyfriends" and you cannot get married or have children with anyone other than Sasuke, if he allows it." Sasuke's face was unreadable and blank, but his eyes conveyed an emotion Tsunade couldn't place. Meanwhile, looking over to her apprentice, the Hokage's heart immediately clenched. Sakura was biting her lip so hard that it bled, trying to keep the tears from coming. She wasn't the type that cried in front of anyone, anymore. Only her select friends, which probably excluded Sasuke as of now.

"The last thing is the sub…" she stopped at the look the dark haired boy was giving her. "Right, it's probably best to show you anyway. Sasuke, if you please."

Sasuke didn't like being ordered around, but he held his tongue. Sakura couldn't hurt him with her immense strength, but that didn't mean that the Hokage, who had _given_ her that immense strength, couldn't. "Sakura," His voice was bold and even. "Come here."

Anger replaced the sadness temporarily, and said woman's head snapped to her "owner" who was still looking at Tsunade. "Like _Hell_. Who do you think you _are_? I am not some animal for you to…" Sakura's voice trailed off, as her body acted out of her will. She stood up, and came to stand in front of Sasuke, who was now staring at her with intimidating black eyes.

"Sit."

Her legs gave way, and she found herself sitting in Sasuke's lap. How embarrassing! She tried to get off, but one hand was now around her waist, and the other resting on top of her knee, preventing her from making movements of any kind.

"What the…"

"It's called "submission"." Tsunade explained. "He can tell you to do something, and because of his position, you must do it, whether you like it or not."

Sakura glared at him. "You sick bast—"

"Sakura." Tsunade interrupted. "Why don't you go home now. I need to work out a few of the more finer details with Sasuke here."

Sakura stood up, the hands letting her go, finally, and she had the door handle in her hands when she heard that same voice again. _You're staying at my house tonight. _

The woman whirled around and glared fiercely at the center point of her anger. "Bite me." She spat, and she opened and slammed the door behind her.

After all the necessary paperwork was completed, now officially stating that Haruno Sakura belonged to Uchiha Sasuke—Tsunade didn't want to do it, but she _had_ to—the prodigy got up to leave. He was halfway to the door when Tsunade called out his name. He stopped, but did not turn around.

"Don't hurt her, Sasuke." Tsunade was pleading with him now, knowing she could do nothing else.

Silence…and then, "I don't like damaged goods." He walked out.

Tsunade felt an odd sense of relief, understanding that at least he would keep her apprentice safe.

**.**

**.**

Naruto Uzumaki was having a great day.

First, he had gotten to sleep in late for the first time in a long time. Once he had woken up, he had showered and dressed in his normal orange and black. After that, he decided he needed to buy ramen. To do that, he needed to clean out all the old ramen from his cabinets.

He was on his eighth bowl.

Preparing it as usual, he placed the instant ramen in the microwave for three minutes, and whistled to pass the time. At two minutes and twelve seconds left. His doorbell rang. He debated over the options, before deciding whoever it was could probably wait. While he was deciding which was more important, the persistent bugger began to pound on his door.

Naruto looked at the microwave, deciding that one minute and fifty-four seconds left was enough time to let them in and hurry back to the kitchen. He scrambled over to the door to his apartment and opened it.

"Sakura!" He exclaimed. "You finally get a day off from Tsunade-baa-chan?" Her head was down, only looking at the floor. "Um…Sakura?" His ramen was going to be done soon, and if he didn't get to them on time…

Sakura tensed, and then he suddenly found her hugging him like he was her lifeline. The blonde was about to open his mouth, when he heard her desperate sobs and felt his shirt getting wet. Naruto held her. It wasn't the way he held Hinata, as in romantically, but it was one of his famous hugs that gave people a sense of comfort. He was a head taller than her now, so when he looked down all he saw was a mass of pink.

Something was _wrong_. Sakura hardly ever cried anymore. Even if she did, it was never this much. The only one that had ever made her cry this much was…come to think of it…Sasuke…

Feeling her hands clench in his jacket, Naruto decided he had never cared about ramen less than he did now.

**.**

**.**

A solid eight minutes later, Sakura had calmed down somewhat. She wasn't crying anymore, but she was still upset. The self-proclaimed future Hokage took one look at the microwave and winced, knowing whatever was in it was thoroughly ruined. He invited her to tell him what was wrong over Ichiraku Ramen, and she had agreed.

He was on his fourth bowl, and she was just finishing up her first, having been the one that was doing all the talking. Naruto could feel his eyes flash red at a few parts, but he forced himself to keep control.

"…and then he can boss me around like some animal! My body acts against it's will and he can make me do things!"

"Things?" Naruto asked dangerously. If Sasuke was even _thinking_ about taking advantage of her…

"I'm guessing just stuff like make his meals, clean his house, bow down and kiss his feet, stuff like that."

"But…" Naruto hesitated. "But _why_?"

"Why what?"

"Why did he _buy_ you? Why couldn't he just ask you out to lunch or something?"

Sakura looked sadly down at her bowl, which was empty. "I don't know, Naruto. I don't know." She gave a tiny snort. "Actually, I do know. It's because he's such a selfish, conceited little _prick_ with no testosterone to speak of…" She stopped abruptly and yelped; feeling like a miniature chidori had hit the back of her hand. Apparently, Sasuke hadn't liked her insulting his masculinity…

There was a pause, and then she felt two tiny bursts of static electricity. Sakura supposed this was his way of telling her to get a move on. She looked at the sky, and saw that it was rapidly darkening. She'd been here for longer than she thought…

With a quick explanation and a goodbye to Naruto, she headed over to her apartment to pack an overnight bag, as she wasn't going to have any clothes in the morning. She made sure she carried her medical items, because she still had to go to work tomorrow. If Sasuke didn't let her do that, she'd go straight to Tsunade, who would force him to let her. Sometimes, it was good having the Godaime as her mentor.

She walked over to the Uchiha district of the city, duffel bag over one shoulder, and walked straight through the front gates. It wasn't the first time she had been here, but it always seemed like there was someone watching her through the windows of houses once lived in. She shrugged off the feeling, an knocked on the door of the Main House…or rather, Mansion.

Earlier, she had called Ino, and told the girl she would explain everything tomorrow during her lunch break. They would go have ramen, and the Ichiraku workers would get to hear the story for a second time. Her blonde friend seemed to act left out, but she'd get over it. She had Shikamaru to cheer her up now. Sakura was just someone's pet.

The door opened, and Sasuke assessed her with a calculating look. She met his eyes and narrowed her own in a defiant manner. A smirk twitched on his lips, and he stepped aside to let her in.

Sakura took the first steps into his home with bold strides. She would show him that she could take whatever he could dish at her, and reciprocate it tenfold. She would not ask for mercy. She would not beg. She would not cry for him anymore. Haruno Sakura would not show fear. After all, you could not show fear when walking into a lion's den.

**.**

**.**

Author's Notes: Sorry the chapter was kind of short. I meant to make it longer, but figured that was a good place to stop. Quality over quantity, right? 


	3. A Girl Worth Fighting For

**Author's Notes**: Thanks to everyone for the reviews. I noticed that some of you were kind of mad that Sasuke would actually buy her, but come on, you really think Sakura won't retaliate?

**Title Reference for Chapter Three: **"A Girl Worth Fighting For" from _Mulan_

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**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 3: A Girl Worth Fighting For

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**.**

What was this feeling? Sakura felt comfortable, a whole lot more comfortable than she normally was in the mornings. Actually, comfortable simply downgraded it. This was bliss.

She was delightfully warm. The warmth blocked the outside cold, which she was dreading having to face when she got up. When she took a breath, all she could smell was the outdoors…no…a fire. She couldn't really describe it, but it smelled like the fires she had to light when she was in the forest on a mission. Secretly, she had always loved the smell of burning cedar, and now she was surrounded by it.

The sheets were soft cotton, which wasn't what she had on her bed. Her bed had those thin sheets that were always cold no matter how long you stayed in it. These were like touching a cloud! And boy, were they warm.

Another oddity, she found, was that there was something across her stomach, coming to rest at the small of her back. Come to thing of it, she didn't remember having a body pillow either…

Without thinking, her head snapped up to look at the sleeping face of her former crush, and was so very close to screaming.

Her heart was pounding, and Sakura was pretty sure her face was redder than Gaara's hair. It was at this moment that she did two things. One was restrain her hormones from getting out of control, and they were on their way there. Her inner self was in absolute ecstasy. The second thing was she had to restrain her fist from giving him a solid wake-up call.

_I can't hurt him! It's not fair!_

She lifted herself up slightly to stare at the clock over his shoulder. 5:30. Well, she had to be at work in two hours anyway, better get out now. She was still mad at him after all, and…wait a minute…how did they end up in the same bed?

She had come in, and she was directed to what she had assumed to be a guest room of some sort. He lived in a mansion, there had to be guest rooms, right? At that point, the day's strain on her mind had dragged her down, and she simply got dressed and went to bed. Actually, she hadn't even taken her forehead protector off, and it sure wasn't there now. She went over the facts in her head.

She was in his room. That much was obvious at this point.

He had her forehead protector. He had better give it back. Or else.

She was sleeping in his bed. With him. Gulp.

The stupid ninja still **owned her**!

Sakura was now fuming; mentally mumbling about stupid bastards who think they're so much better than everyone else. Deciding it was best not to wake him—for if she heard one snide remark come out of his mouth, she was going to attempt to hurt him, and then get shocked again—she tried to wriggle out of his arms oh so carefully. Her attempts, however, were in complete vain, as his grip was like trying to push through solid steel. Stupid ninja strength.

Something else she was cursing, at this point, was his stupid ninja awareness. His grip had tightened around her, and she had looked up to see him just staring at her flushed face. Hopefully, he couldn't see the blush in the dark.

"Where do you think you're going?" She felt the rumble from his chest. Any other girl would have melted, and Sakura was very close to, but she had remembered at the last second the events from yesterday.

"Let go of me." Her voice held a catch that she hoped he didn't pick up, so naturally, he did.

"Nervous around me, pet?" He asked, his voice slightly amused.

"Don't you dare call me that." Sakura gritted her teeth. "I have to go to work now, get off."

His response to that was to pull her tighter against him. "You don't have to be at work for two hours."

"It's a hospital, they always need doctors on call. Besides," she glared at him, hoping he could see the narrowing of her eyes. "I might just take two hours to get ready."

Sasuke scoffed. "I know you Sakura, you never take two hours to get ready."

Ignoring the way her inner self had turned to Jell-O when he said her name, she answered, "Then maybe I'll start!" Pushing him off, she rolled out of bed, shivering at the cold before going into the bathroom.

**.**

**.**

Thankfully, he had been gone when she had come back from the shower. Why thankfully? Well, she didn't want to have to face him again, and she had stormed into the bathroom so hastily that she had forgotten her clothes. Her in a towel was not something she wanted him to see.

Currently, she was walking through the halls of the hospital, checking up on her patients. They were all doing well, except for one, but his was a minor case and he would get better in a few months. Now, there really wasn't anything to do. She only had one more patient to check up on and she'd probably be bored the rest of the day.

She knocked, and opened the door to find a familiar Jounin sitting shirtless on the bed.

"Kakashi-sensei! What in the world did you do to yourself now?"

She could tell he was grinning under his mask. "Come now, is that really how you treat your _former_ sensei?" He stressed former, because no matter what he tried, Naruto and Sakura still hadn't dropped the honorific. His first and only team still referred to him as their teacher, even though they had already achieved his level, perhaps past that.

Sakura rolled her eyes, and winced at his file. "Shuriken wound? That doesn't sound like a hospital visit."

"It's been bothering me for nearly a week."

Sakura gave a little "oh", and moved around to his back so she could see it. It was a strange bluish-purple color. "The shuriken probably had poison on it. How did you get it?" She asked, going into full doctor mode.

"Missing-nin."

She removed the poison bit by bit with her chakra. Luckily, it wasn't very potent and it spread slowly. She also closed the wound halfway to help along the healing process. Removing poison was tiring to her system.

"Now," she announced. "I just need to give you a shot to prevent infection, so if you'll turn around and pull down your pants, that would be great." She didn't miss the way his visible eye widened while she gathered the needle.

"Y-You're not serious."

She turned to him, her face absolutely flat. "On the contrary, I am _very_ serious. Don't make me involve a future Mrs. Hatake."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

At his look of hesitance, and then surrender, Sakura burst out into laughter. She had to hold her stomach when he gave her a glare that even Sasuke would be jealous of.

"Relax, I just need to give it to you in your arm." She giggled. "You should have seen your face! I can't wait to tell Naruto!"

She gave him the shot, and asked him how his fiancée was doing.

"You should know, you see her nearly every day."

Sakura shrugged, putting away her "torture devices". "I was just making conversation."

"Then Shizune is doing fine, thank you."

"I will never know how you two got together." She told him, bandaging his wound.

"And you never will."

"Says you! I'll force it out of Shizune one day."

Now Kakashi was mumbling about nosy students, and Sakura laughed again. "You know, why didn't you just go to her for this problem? She would have taken care of it."

More mumbling about not wanting to worry her, and Sakura understood in an instant. Shizune was a major worrywart.

She said her goodbyes and walked out, she just didn't know that Kakashi's eyes widened once more once he glimpsed the chain around her neck.

**.**

**.**

There was so little to do at the hospital, that she had been dismissed for the remainder of the day. Considering it was only about two thirty, she had a lot of time to do something. Whatever that was.

She was walking in the markets when she caught a flash of blonde hair. "Ino!" She called out. The figure turned around, and her friend waved back at her.

"Thank goodness, I was so bored!"

Sakura laughed. "Me too."

"I'm about to go train though, wanna spar?"

Sakura agreed, and Ino made her promise to tell her why she was called to the Hokage's office yesterday. Lucky for Sakura, she was already in the clothes that she trained in.

Fifteen minutes of kicks, punches, and jutsu's later, Ino was absolutely shocked. "He bought you! That's not fair!"

"I know!" Sakura said as she dodged a kick.

"No, I mean I want to be bought by Sasuke too!"

Sakura was so caught off guard that she nearly missed Ino's clone coming at her from behind. "You've got Shikamaru."

"But still! It's Uchiha Sasuke! We used to adore him, remember?"

"That was a long time ago!" Sakura was just a little mad now, and she forced herself not to power chakra into her limbs. "I didn't know he was such a prick!"

Nearly twenty minutes after that, both were bruised and bleeding in some places. Non-stop sparring sure wore them out. They had agreed to stop, and were sitting by a nearby lake.

"I'm bored." Ino commented after they had cooled off a little.

"Me too." An idea popped into her head. "You know, Tsunade's been complaining about all the thugs appearing around town."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Sakura, you can be such a child." She looked her friend in the eye. "Those won't be a challenge at all. I say we go for the alley gangs."

Both of them smirked.

**.**

**.**

"Whoo-whee! Will you look at that piece of—"

"Oh shut up!" Ino snapped.

They were expecting the comments, and the stares…they just never saw the stench coming. Honestly, they lived in absolute filth. Deciding to take care of one of the more deadlier gangs, they began heading to the center of the bad part of town. They found the entire gang of about fifty-three in a smoky bar, you could tell which ones they were…the ones with women flocking around them.

"Hey!" Ino yelled at them. "Are you…uh…what was their name again?"

Sakura shrugged, all attention now on the two girls. "I don't know it off the top of my head."

"Well since we can't think of it, they must not be all that important."

"Let's go find the real deadly ones, these are just a bunch of…"

"Hey!" a man with black hair and tattoos down both arms yelled at them. "We're the deadliest gang in Konoha! Get out now if you want to live."

Sakura looked at her childhood friend and gave her a flat look. "I think I'm shaking in my boots, what about you, Ino?"

"Absolutely."

Another gang member threw down his pool cue and rolled up his sleeves, spitting out a cigarette. The rest followed suit, and Sakura and Ino got ready.

The gang rushed at them in one huge mass, their women screaming in the back.

It was the best possible anti-boredom measure they had ever taken.

They blindly assaulted anything in their path. Punching and kicking each new obstacle. The gang they were opposing got in a few hits, but nothing that wouldn't be gone with Sakura's medicinal skills.

It was frighteningly easy, except for this one brute who Sakura had landed thirty consecutive punches, and he only now looked like he was going to fall. She brought her arm around to punch him once more, and let her limb fly. He toppled at the last second, with her punch missing by only centimeters. The result was that her fist came around more than she wanted it to…and she ended up blocking a liquor bottle that was headed directly for her head.

Go figure.

When the glass shattered on her arm, the man froze in terror. Sakura gritted her teeth, and watched the blood flow freely down her arm. A weak punch to the shoulder was all she needed to snap back to reality. Powering chakra into her hand, she sent the man flying across the room and through a brick wall.

**Shannaro! Now I'm pissed!**

**.**

**.**

Ino winced. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura…did you really have to make sure any of those men never had children?"

"You really want them procreating?"

Ino stopped in thought, "I guess not."

They were once again sitting by the lake, assessing the damage done. Sakura had healed most of Ino's already, but found that she didn't have the strength or chakra to heal her own. The arm was already bandaged, but the smaller pieces of glass needed to be taken out by hand, which she was dreading doing. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best idea after all…

The two lay back on the grass, looking at the sky, and the topic of Sasuke came up.

"It can't be all that bad can it?" Ino asked.

"Yes it can."

"Well, Sasuke really isn't the type to take advantage of women."

Sakura sighed. "I guess so. Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"I'm not on his side, because he shouldn't have bought you, I'm just trying to be optimistic."

Sakura nodded, and a cool breeze washed over her.

"Besides!" Ino said cheerily. "You get to sleep in his bed! That would be enough incentive for any girl to…"

Sakura promptly threw her in the lake.

**.**

**.**

Sasuke walked in the gates. That mission was easy, there was no way it could have been A-Ranked. All he had to do was kill a missing nin from the Mist, how hard could that have possibly been? Mentally, he reached out to check up on his kunoichi.

His. He liked the sound of that.

He gave a small tsk and smirked at her current state. She was a little beaten up, and she was in a lake having a water fight with Ino. He was allowed to peer into her mind, but her violent subconscious would only let him go so far.

Sakura was bothered by something, but to what he couldn't tell. Most of her thoughts were centered around him and his ownership over her. Questions like why, and when had he gone to the place.

His little pet would find out in due time.

"Hey teme!"

Sasuke somehow realized that this voice was calling to him, and the childhood nickname could have only come from one person. "Naruto." He greeted.

Naruto looked beyond furious. Sasuke mentally shook his head, Sakura had probably told him. "You. Me. Let's spar."

Sasuke shrugged, he needed a good workout today.

**.**

**.**

"How could you have bought her?! She's not someone's property!"

"Actually, she's my property, dobe."

"Argh!"

Naruto was letting off some steam, by venting it on the object of his rage. He was giving his all into this fight, and Sasuke was attacking and dodging to the best of his ability.

"But why?"

"I don't know. I just went on a whim." Sasuke smirked. Three…two…one…

"On a WHAT?"

Bingo.

"You idiot, do you really think I'd buy her on a whim?"

Naruto calmed slightly. So he apparently had a good reason. He knew that Sakura was one of his "special persons", even though he never said it out loud. "Then why? Why not just ask her out or something?"

"My reasons for holding ownership over her are complicated, but Sakura should hear them first."

Naruto pouted. "Fine." He paused. "Wanna go get some ramen?"

**.**

**.**

Sakura sat down at one of the barstools, Ino beside her, and ordered miso ramen. It had been too long since she and Ino had talked, and now they were chatting away like old times, going over their latest missions and Ino's guy trouble. Poor Ayame, she was looking at them like they were insane. Not only did the two girls look beaten to within an inch of their lives, both were soaking wet, Ino having managed to get her friend in the lake as well.

So they sat, slurping up noodles with Sakura slipping in an occasional word in here or there, and Ino complaining about Shikamaru. She was about to say a particularly nasty comment when she was interrupted.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura tensed, wondering why she hadn't noticed them before. Naruto practically yelled wherever he went, having to keep up his status as Konoha's loudest ninja, and Sasuke had such a noticeable presence…except for when he didn't want to be noticed, then, and only then, was he like the wind.

Besides, neither of her teammates would be happy with the state that she was in.

Naruto had given her a giant bear hug from behind, and Sakura visibly winced. It went unnoticed by anyone but Ino, who just laughed. "Ack! You're all wet!"

Sakura thought she heard a, "No shit, dobe." but she couldn't be sure.

Naruto took the barstool next to her, which Sasuke did not seem to mind, and he ordered beef ramen, while Sasuke sat next to him and ordered the same. The blonde looked in her direction, and his eyes widened. "What happened to you?"

Sasuke's head swiveled in her direction, and his eyes were rapidly narrowing.

Sakura realized how bad she must have looked, bruises were peppering her skin in several places, and she hadn't healed her own injuries yet. Even though Ino was mostly cleaned up, she still looked a little worse for wear. Thankfully, her own face wasn't that bad though, just one on the side of her chin and a particularly nasty one on her temple.

"We sparred." Sakura shrugged. She looked over to Ino, who grinned at her, and they both resumed eating their ramen.

"But…you…medic…never mind." Naruto decided to just leave it, blaming it on the complex nature of women.

Sakura was thankful he dropped it, she just knew that there was going to be a flaming game of twenty questions when she got to Sasuke's tonight.

**.**

**.**

"What the _hell_ did you do?"

**Well, someone's got a stick shoved somewhere unpleasant. **

She wasn't exactly expecting a welcome home, nice to see you, or here let me help you with your stuff that you keep bringing over daily to my house, but she wasn't expecting such a remark first thing when she walked through the door. Okay, he officially wasn't happy.

"What do you mean, what did I do? I told you already, Ino and I sparred."

"That's a lie." At this point, Sakura was wondering why he didn't just order her to tell him, he could have, but he didn't.

Sasuke pushed her into his room, "Sit on the bed and take your shirt off."

Sakura gaped at him, even when her feet began walking towards the bed. He left to get something, and she screamed obscenities at him while her hands involuntarily removed her shirt. Thankfully, her bra didn't expose much. Her eyes widened. If he saw the one on her back…she shuddered.

She had gotten thrown into some shelving, her back taking the full impact, and it had been stinging slightly ever since. It even hurt when she touched it! Okay…getting gangs riled up, especially when the odds are fifty-three to two, is officially not a good idea!

Sasuke came back into the room and she saw his jaw visibly clench. He was carrying a box, probably with some bandages and ointment in it.

"You know," Sakura started, "if you'll just give me a couple hours, I can…"

"Hush."

It was a command, therefore her mouth instantly snapped shut. She glared at him. He sat down next to her and began to remove the bandages on her arm, revealing the glass-torn skin.

"I would just _love_ to know how you accomplished _this_." His tone was sarcastic…biting.

She watched as he picked out the tiny glass shards with tweezers and a very steady hand. He held a grip on her arm that was firm, but did not hurt. Once he finished that, he put a salve on it—that stung greatly, Sakura was just glad she didn't wince—and bandaged it once more. The rest of her bruises were treated in a similar manner, and she now had patches of gauze over her arms and stomach.

His fingers turned her chin in his direction, "Talk."

Stupid Uchiha eyes! So intimidating!

His hand moved around her back, where it lightly brushed the aforementioned worst bruise of all time. So with Sakura's luck, she didn't talk, she yelped. In one swift move, he had her lying on her stomach, pinning her down by her upper arms.

He violently cursed. "Do you have _any_ idea how bad this is?" Okay…so she had just ticked him off again. Oops.

"Well, I can't exactly see my back…"

He dragged her into the bathroom, and put her back facing the mirror. Digging out a hand-held mirror, Sakura was able to glimpse it for the first time.

It really was horrible, she winced just looking at it. Dark purples and greens were splayed across her back. There was even a few yellow-ish spots in the more sensitive areas. It was all a mesh of disfiguring color.

He took her back into his room again, and made her lay down on the bed face down. He had a pretty good view of it from this vantage point. He sighed, and lightly touched it.

Sakura yelped again, and clutched the sheets in a death grip.

He cursed softly under his breath, and muttered a jutsu she didn't hear. His hand touched her back again, and instead of pain, a feeling of numbness washed over her. This was a medical jutsu. But where…?

"Kabuto." He told her. It was like he could read her mind…creepy.

He began to work once more, and she felt only the pressure, but no pain at all. Sitting her up, Sasuke bandaged it and lifted the jutsu. There was no pain. It felt a little sore, but that was pretty much it.

She got dressed, and crawled into bed. Sasuke came in once more, having left to giver her privacy, and she blushed at what he was wearing. Just his pants. Was that a six…? Wait a minute! The man had an eight-pack!

The lights went out, and he pulled her to him carefully. She risked a glance over her shoulder, and almost gasped. His eyes were crimson, and he was just staring at her. Unconsciously, she shrank back, only to have his grip tighten slightly.

Aside from the fact that she was blushing a thousand different shades of red, Ino was probably right. Maybe sharing his bed wasn't so bad after all…

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes**: Yay! Longer chapter this time. I have no idea where the chapter title came from…I just kind of picked one. And the gang? I don't know where that came from either. I was just thinking, "what if they got into some kind of trouble?" I mean, it's INO and SAKURA. They're both very devious! So I just popped that in there on a whim. There's a few touches of humor in this chapter, what with the Kakashi situation and all, and I didn't want it to be too serious. I tried to keep Sasuke in character, you'll have to tell me if I did or not.

(I'm AMAZED that people actually read the author's notes! Sugoi!)


	4. Painting the Roses Red

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to all the reviewers, I really appreciate all of you for not ghost reading. Also, sorry for the late update!

**Title Reference for Chapter Four: **"Painting the Roses Red" from _Alice in Wonderland_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 4: Painting the Roses Red

**.**

**.**

All that Sakura could register in her half-asleep state was that the time was entirely too early. It had to be near three in the morning, yet there was movement beside her. The woman simply turned to the opposite direction and tried to sleep once more. The shower being used registered in her mind before her eyes shut to carry her back into a light sleep.

What seemed like seconds later, a hand was turning her over on her back, promptly waking her up.

"Wha…?" Sakura mumbled. She shielded her eyes from the light in the bathroom. Once she adjusted slightly, it was clear to see that Sasuke was standing over her, making her jump in surprise, in full ANBU uniform.

"I've been called on a mission, I'm leaving now."

Rubbing her eyes, she propped herself on her elbows and looked at the clock. "But it's three fifteen in the morning."

"It's urgent. We have to leave now to make it to Mist in time."

Mist…Sakura didn't like the Water Country much. And, she knew for a fact, neither did Sasuke. "When will you be back?"

"A week at the longest, but it shouldn't be that long." Sakura nodded, and she felt Sasuke lean in close to her ear. "Be safe."

"I'm _always_ safe."

She though she heard a "tch" but she couldn't be sure. Laying back down after a "be safe" of her own, she attempted to go back to sleep to get the energy for her job tomorrow. In her half-asleep state though, she didn't fail to miss the dropped kiss on her temple. She was just too tired to really take it all in. All she heard was Sasuke laugh lightly when a dreamy sigh escaped her mouth.

**.**

**.**

Sakura sleepily walked into work the next morning and greeted the receptionist. For the moment, while Sasuke was on his mission, she was free to do whatever she wanted.

She walked into the doctor's offices and opened the door to her own. It was pretty plain actually, just a desk, a laptop, and some scattered papers. On the walls, there was a few pictures of her friends, but otherwise it was pretty bare. She discarded her jacket and donned her white medic coat. Putting her hair into a loose bun, she picked up her clipboard and went to go make the rounds for the day.

Overall, most people that came in these days simply had the flu. It was that time of year again where Sakura burned most of her chakra trying to get the virus out of people's systems. It was hard work, especially since the medical staff wouldn't be given a day off until flu season was over.

The pink haired medic walked into a room to find a young boy and his mother sitting on the bed.

"Hello, Mrs. Tanoshi, my name is Haruno Sakura. I'm the doctor that will be assisting you for today." She looked down at the chart. "Can you tell me what the boy's symptoms are?"

The mother looked worried. "Well, he's been coughing an awful lot lately and my husband and I began to get worried, so I brought him here to make sure it wasn't anything serious."

"Has he been on any medications?"

"Well, we thought it was just a case of the flu, so we gave him some Benadryl and he seemed fine. Then he started coughing again about an hour later. Nothing we've done seems to help. He claims to have some trouble breathing as well."

"Alright then, I'm just going to do a quick scan and we'll see what's the matter." The young boy shrank into his mother after these words. "It won't hurt, I promise."

Sakura told him to lay on his stomach, and she put her hands on his back. It was nothing major, but it was a good thing the boy's mother brought him here before it got out of hand. Green chakra flowed from her hands onto the boy.

"There was a minimal amount of liquid in his lungs, but that's taken care of and it shouldn't happen again. I'm going to prescribe some medicine, but if he starts coughing again bring him straight here."

The mother nodded and took the prescription. They thanked her and moved out of the room.

Sakura looked at the clock. Her lunch break would be starting any minute now, so she may as well take off the lab coat and go out to lunch.

"Hey, Sakura!"

Sakura looked down the hall to see Ino running towards her. The bruises on both of them had healed, since a week had past since the incident, and they both looked healthy as ever.

"Hey Ino, what's up?"

"You about to go to lunch?"

"Yeah, just need to put my coat up."

"Good, you can go with me, I have to tell you something!"

**.**

**.**

They sat at a table at the barbecue restaurant where Ino's team used to have all of their meetings. Sakura thanked her lucky stars that she actually didn't go to Ichiraku today for one: ramen each and every single day for lunch and/or dinner was quite tiring and two: her sodium count at the end of the day had to be through the roof half of the time. She'd have to make a mental note to get a certain blonde into the hospital to give him a checkup. The boy only ate one thing and by heaven and earth she would force vegetables down his throat if need be.

The cooked meat was taken off of the grill. "So I was at the Hokage Tower for a mission briefing the other day. Tsunade wanted me to get a book to research this country that's taken up root on an island really close to Mist."

Sakura's ears perked. "Mist?" That's where Sasuke was headed.

"I checked up on it and it's supposed to be this awful place. One of the scrolls mentioned that it was practically the center for organized crime. The entire island is practically a red light district."

Sakura froze with a strip of beef halfway to her mouth. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, I read that there are hookers practically every turn you make. They've even developed this new type of jutsu that can make even the strongest of men bow at their feet. Something about pheremenemies I think…"

Sakura cocked a brow. "Pheromones, you mean?"

Ino snapped her fingers. "That's it! Couldn't remember it there for a second."

"Ino…is there any chance at all I could possibly…see this scroll?"

The blonde roughly swallowed pork. "Sure, Tsunade-sama was drinking last time I saw her so you have a pretty good chance. She'll probably be drunk anyway."

"Now where is this scroll?"

"Okay, so you know that library in the Hokage Mansion? Just go in there and it should be…"

**.**

**.**

After requesting a half-day at the hospital—there weren't many people that couldn't easily be handled—Sakura walked down the halls to the Hokage's personal library. She knew the place like the back of her hand, since she had spent night after night reading medical texts until her eyes were sore and she developed a minor tolerance for caffeine.

Opening the door, she closed it slowly. Sakura winced when the big rusty hinges gave a loud groan. She'd have to get someone to oil them down later, right now she was on a mission.

The scroll was right where Ino said it would be, right on top of one of the desks meant for reading and possibly note-taking. She pulled up the wooden chair and began to unravel the white parchment, displaying the characters written across.

_Seaweed Country _(How typical for an island out in the middle of the ocean. Did they name it after the plant or the alcoholic drink? Ah, the big question arises)

_Recently founded by a high-profile gambler. Not much is known except there is a high rate of prostitution and gang-activity. "Red-Light Districts" and casinos, mostly. Attracts many missing-nin. On the South side of the island, there are several run-down orphanages with most of the children on the island inside. It is illegal for any child to go outside of a 8-foot stone wall. The children turn the legal age of twenty-one when they can leave the orphanage and turn mostly to prostitution themselves. The shelters are run by hostages captured by missing-nin. Freshwater is extremely limited, and the freshwater they do have goes to the bars for alcoholic drinks. Women on the island have developed a new jutsu involving pheromones, which makes a man immediately fall for her. This is all that is known._

Sakura gaped. Then, she was angry. How could Sasuke just leave like that without telling her the truth? Now that she understood what was going on, she would have gladly let him go, seeing as he'd liberate the island, but why had he felt the need to lie? They weren't dating, weren't in any kind of relationship. Did she care if he went with another woman?

A pang in her chest told her that she really did.

She sighed and began to roll up the scroll. After all these years, all he had done to her, she still wasn't completely over him.

The door to the outside creaked, and Sakura was behind one of the many large stacks after placing the scroll in the exact place she'd left it. Panting with built up adrenaline, she concealed herself before the person could even take the first step inside the room.

Peeking through the gaps between the books, the medic found herself staring at a Chuunin she hadn't seen before. He probably didn't have the skills yet to spot her, so she was safe for now. All he did was pick up another scroll and leave.

Relieved, Sakura made her way to the back of the stacks to further hide herself. She wasn't supposed to be in here without the Hokage's permission, and someone more skilled than the Chuunin was coming this way.

It was extremely dark back here, so Sakura didn't see a rather thick scroll until she stepped on it and slipped. Almost gracefully stopping her fall, she turned and picked up the scroll to give it further inspection. She had better put it back where it belonged, texts weren't supposed to be scattered like this.

She found the proper place for it and made to drop it…but it wouldn't leave her hand! It was literally stuck! She was reminded the time that Sasuke thought it would be funny to put superglue on Naruto's chopsticks. The ninja kept waving his arm around trying to get them unstuck but it was no use. Sakura finally pitied him and tugged them off, using a medic jutsu to ease the pain. Sasuke was not happy with her after that.

Her cursed necklace tingled, and her other arm began moving involuntarily. She was going to open the scroll! This was bad! Who knows what sort of trap was put on this thing? She might be knocked unconscious and get sucked to the dungeons or something. Before she knew it, the scroll opened, and Sakura's eyes widened dramatically.

_Hello,_

_If you are reading this, then that means that you have been bought by someone from a prominent clan. These are the useful things that we, as possessions, have learned through our experiences and we feel the need to pass them on so you do not have to learn the hard way. Please do not repeat this to anyone, and if anyone asks, you learned all by yourself. We need to keep this scroll to help future generations._

Next Entry

_I'm afraid I have not found a way to take the possession item off, however there is a way to get around the "no courting" and punishments. Get your owner flat out drunk. So drunk that he can only see in fuzzy images. This way, he will not understand the signals if you are doing something that he would reprimand you for. By signals, I mean that every time you do something wrong, he will receive some kind of message that you are doing so and punish you. _

_For getting him drunk, this is a recipe that never fails:_

_Vodka, pure alcohol, whiskey, and rum. Use lots of lemonade and pineapple to cover up the alcohol smell. Works even better if he has the flu._

Next Entry

_This takes complete determination, so not everyone will be able to do it. When the owner bosses you around, focus your mind on completely something else. It can be anything, but you will not have to do what he says. If this fails, focus your entire being to fight him, it works, I promise. However, it is not easy. If you can focus your chakra to plug your ears or create a loud static noise in your head, that works as well. If you can't hear his command, you don't have to do what he says._

Next Entry

_You can hit him. You may have tried and gotten a ripping pain, but there is a way to seriously do some damage. If your owner is a ninja, then he will not get hurt over a punch. If you tried before to hit him, and got the pain, then you were likely thinking that you wanted to hurt him. All you have to do is concentrate hard and think, "He won't be hurt if I hit him." The device that marks his ownership of you only shocks you depending on what your brain waves tell it. It is possible to fool this device._

"Haruno Sakura, just what do you think you are doing?"

Jumping, Sakura whirled around where her green eyes met the honey-colored eyes of the Godaime Hokage, and her mentor did not look happy at all.

**.**

**.**

**Author's Note:** Again I am SO sorry for the late update. School has literally eaten up my time and, aside from homework, I've got a few extracurricular activities that keep me on my toes. Again, reeeeeally sorry!

In case you're interested, I named the chapter "Painting the Roses Red" because the cards are trying to get around their punishment for growing white roses. See the connection? It basically means trying to get around something without consequences.


	5. Spoonful of Sugar

**Author's Notes: **Ack! I'm really sorry for the late update, and I tried to make this chapter longer to make up for it! I decided to update this one first, since this is the one that so many people were eager to see an update to. Make a note that I have started chapter nine of Dear Annie and I'm working on that as well. Again, forgive me!

**Title Reference for Chapter Five: **"Spoonful of Sugar" from _Mary Poppins_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 5: Spoonful of Sugar

**.**

**.**

Sakura gulped as she saw the clear anger in her sensei's amber eyes. Let's see…how should she explain this? On the one hand, she could say that she was interested in this new country that had developed outside of Mist. It was perfect! Just say that she was curious because Ino had told her about it, and she wanted to see if the blonde had left out. It wasn't at all because she wanted to see what kinds of trouble that Sasuke was getting into. Of course, that made her sound like a jealous girlfriend…

Dang it…

"I left a medical text in here the other day." Sakura blurted. Where had that come from? She thanked her lucky stars she was finally getting good at lying. "I wanted to get it before I couldn't remember where it was." She said this while sneakily slipping the scroll into a spot on the shelf.

Tsunade gave her a scrutinizing look, and then cheerfully said, "Okay!"

It was then that Sakura noticed the visible color on her cheeks as she took a swig from a bottle in her hand. The kunoichi should have known, the Hokage was flat-out drunk.

Exiting discreetly, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't been caught. Turning, her eyes shot up to the face of Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Sakura greeted, surprised. How did all the people she didn't need to see today just appear out of _thin air_?

"Ah, Sakura! Have you seen…?" Knowing what he was about to say, Sakura pointed in the direction of the library seconds before maniacal laughter came floating out. Jiraiya raised his eyebrows and a flash of realization flooded his face. "Oh." He said. He hesitantly slipped into the library muttering something about regretting giving her that first margarita.

Sighing in relief that she wasn't caught, the kunoichi slipped out of the Hokage tower.

So, if what she had just read was true, then that meant that she might be able to lead a semi-normal life. She could date if she wanted to, but probably couldn't marry someone else. She couldn't keep him drunk forever.

She could also hit him. That thought made her smile. When she was younger, she had never wanted to hit Sasuke. Sasuke was her absolute idol and she didn't want to hurt him at all. Now in her late teens, with a strength many would be jealous of, when she wanted to hit the idiot, she physically couldn't. Such great loopholes!

The only catch to her plan was that she should probably only use these in dire situations. If all of the sudden she began to disobey him and show up with hickeys on her neck, as highly unlikely as that was, he would be severely angry for not having complete control. Knowing Sasuke, he'd find a way to fix it before the day was finished, meaning she couldn't do whatever she wanted later down the line, when the situation might really call for it.

Smiling at her plan, she went to go train.

**.**

**.**

It had been nearly a week when he returned. Sasuke sighed under his mask. Things had gone from bad to worse in the span of three days. Apparently, you just couldn't infiltrate a new country waving swords and jutsus. His team had to be a bit stealthier, especially since it was a gambler's island, meaning there was high-tech equipment everywhere.

Their first priority was to free the hostages and the children on the island, taking them immediately back to Konoha before taking down the gamblers that ruled the island. That would have been fine and dandy with him if everything had gone right. At first, it seemed to go perfectly. It was night, and Sasuke's squad scaled the protective wall around the island with ease. They avoided the hired ninjas and headed into the orphanage compound. The artificial light inside made everything look brighter than normal, which included them.

Somehow, a sixteen-year-old girl managed to single him out. Since he was obligated to free her, he tried his hardest not to send her sprawling when she wrapped herself around him. Even with his mask on, she had still managed to find Konoha's hottest man. This resulted in his entire squad sniggering that he was now the man-whore in two countries. When they suddenly shut-up, he decided that they could actually feel the Sharingan's power.

He couldn't very well complete his mission with a girl draped around him, so he pushed her off. She began to wail at the top of her lungs, alerting one of the hostages to her distress. A lady came from a nearby room and opened her mouth to scream just as Sasuke appeared behind her in a heartbeat and knocked her out cold. Glaring at the teenage girl, who was now silent, the Uchiha turned on his heel and began to free the children.

Or at least, he was supposed to. Most of the little ones cried, frightened by men in masks coming in their room, and many resisted. He was forced to pry fingers off of doorjambs, bedposts, cribs, and other children. By now, his team's uniforms were covered in spit, tears, and snot, and their anger was growing by the second. Sasuke contemplated whipping the Sharingan on them all, but figured nearly two hundred kids would be more than they could handle.

He supposed that it was the wailing and screaming that alerted the guards, because an ominous alarm began to sound with flashing red lights. They knew that something was wrong.

Eventually, he found a place for them to hide while half his team took them to the docks to load in a ship, and half, including him, fought the hired ninjas. Morning came, and there seemed to be no more threat, but they agreed they had to hurry to avoid any other distractions.

Sasuke was relieved when the boat finally set sail. They had gotten maybe a quarter of a mile when he heard the horrifying cry of "_STOP!!!_"…

…_on shore_.

The boy was maybe three, but he was running faster than any three-year-old should. Shinobis were coming fast from the building behind him, and he was trying to reach the boat with a teddy bear in his arms.

Muttering an expletive, Sasuke jumped over the side of the boat and landed on top of the water. This earned a few gasps and squeals of excitement from the little ones on deck. They watched as his speed became so fast, he was invisible to their untrained eye, and he left not a ripple on the water's surface.

Sasuke reached the child just as a pang of fear hit him. Sakura's fear. From her eyes, he saw the furious eyes of the Hokage. She was scared of getting caught, thought that Tsunade had seen something. Then…the flash was gone.

Only to be replaced by a shuriken, which was originally headed for the child's heart, lodging itself in his shoulder. Quickly pulling it out, he scooped up the boy and raced back to the boat. Still standing on the water, he sent a giant ball of fire into the mass of ninjas, leaving the island in a smoldering mess.

He arrived in the village late afternoon, about four, with a trail of screaming children in his wake. The only thing funnier than the child's wonder at Konoha was the panicked scrambling the adult ninjas had to do to keep the kids in line. Behind their ANBU masks they wore frantic faces. Even though there was an ANBU for every twenty kids, it still never seemed to be enough.

The first place he took them to was the hospital, where Sasuke would finally be free of them. He didn't have to baby sit any longer! The three days they had been traveling to get here had been the worst three days of his life. His raging anger was almost tangible. It came partly from the slow speed they were forced to travel, and the cat fights that had to be broken up, the need to get (and pay for) food for his men and their "cargo", feeding said "cargo"—which he thankfully skipped out on—and for the large bucket of water that had been thrown at him in his sleep. Thankfully, he had dodged the water, but he was sure that there was still rice in his hair from one of the girl's tantrums.

Leaving the brats in his team's care—for which he was sure that they glared at him with the utmost hatred—he walked to the Hokage Tower to deliver his report. Tsunade looked at him with amused eyes—seeing either the circles under his eyes or the clearly visible vein on his forehead, he couldn't be sure—and told him to proceed.

He told her the facts, what had happened successfully and not so successfully, the fire, the nins, and he _casually_ slipped in how this mission had better earn him a big fat paycheck. Tsunade laughed at that point, and told him to go to the hospital to make sure everything was OK. He agreed, even though he had no intention of doing so.

Going home, he noticed that Sakura was missing. He berated himself momentarily. After all, he should have figured that she'd be at the hospital playing day care and maybe doing her job. Haruno Sakura was the kind of person that loved kids. After the last couple of days, Sasuke was ready to slaughter every single one of them. Such tolerance must only come from the _y_ chromosome.

Sasuke bandaged his shoulder, kind of awkwardly seeing as how he couldn't reach, and collapsed onto the couch. It seemed like he had only fallen asleep for a second when he got a call. Looking at the time, he discovered he had been asleep for hours, and he wondered who would call at one in the morning.

It was the hospital. Apparently, even though Sakura was the top medic and one of Konoha's best kunoichi's, they just didn't trust her out at night alone. Apparently, she was wearing herself out. Again. From the sound of the receptionist's voice, Sasuke could venture to guess that Sakura had no idea that they were calling him. Grumbling something—he wasn't exactly sure what—he slammed the phone down and walked to the hospital.

The receptionist told him he could "wait in the doctor's lounge, Sasuke-kun." She tried to tell him how to get there, but he walked off before she could jump him. The remaining Uchiha found it easily enough; he'd been there before. He grabbed some coffee and sat on a window seat to wait for her.

Maybe ten minutes later, she came in. Dragging her feet, she leaned her head against the vending machine tiredly before slamming her fist into the front of it. Almost immediately, a bottle of Coke clunked out the bottom. She grabbed it, undid the top, took a drink, turned around…

It was at that point she saw him. Sakura's eyes went wide and she choked on the carbonated beverage in her mouth. He simply raised an elegant brow at her antics.

After restarting her heart and gaining breath, she pointed accusingly at him. "_What_ are you doing here?"

He looked calmly at her, "They called me to tell me I should come take you home."

She hissed something under her breath. "Stupid receptionist and her stupid crush with that stupid…" it went a little vulgar after that.

Sasuke stood. "Let's go."

She gaped at him. "Wait a minute, I can't leave! I have all this paperwork to do!"

"Give it to the night staff."

She wanted to point out that she practically _was_ the night staff, being it one in the morning, but held her tongue. "But…!"

It was then that Sasuke used the good seven or eight inches he had on her to his advantage. He looked down at her with a calm, yet intimidating, look. At first, she was defiant, looking up at him with the same intensity he looked down at her. He wasn't phased. Sasuke could, literally, do this all night.

Eventually though, she caved. "Fine. Let me get my things."

He waited for her by the front door. The receptionist, and many of the older girls he had just rescued, gazing at him with hearts in their eyes. Some things just never changed…

Sasuke gave a mental sigh of relief when Sakura showed up. They began walking back to his house, and he clicked his tongue in disapproval when he finally noticed the state she was in. She was struggling to keep her eyes open, minutely staggering on some steps. He almost offered, or insisted, to carry her, but kept his hands shoved in his pockets.

In her pajamas, she was crawling into bed when she noticed something important. Her "owner" was wearing a shirt. Normally, this would be a good thing, since it was quite hard not to look down at those well-developed abs of his, but she knew for a fact he never wore a shirt to bed, not even when they were kids.

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Are you _hurt_?"

Sasuke was reaching for the light when he heard her question. He tensed slightly, but wasn't sure she saw it. "No." He lied. Before he could _command_ her to go to bed and let the subject alone, she protested.

"You _are_! You stubborn idiot, take off your shirt!"

Wait a minute, wasn't he supposed to be the one that could order _her_ to do things?

She walked around the bed and lightly put him in a sitting position. He grabbed her hands firmly as they were reaching to pull his shirt over his head. "Sakura, you have neither the energy nor the chakra. Now go to…"

Before he could command her, again, she interrupted. "Sasuke, I'm a medic. I took an oath to heal wounds, not leave them alone. Now, take off your shirt."

After a few minutes of glaring viciously at each other, he finally complied when a small "please?" came out of her mouth. She kneeled behind him and began undoing the bandages, layer by layer. Soon, his naked torso was visible for the world to see. Sakura gulped as she saw the corded muscles rippling along his back, but quickly shook it off and focused on the task at hand.

It wasn't necessarily a bad wound, but it _was_ pretty deep. Sakura's hands glowed as she repaired the broken tissue. Her eyes widened when the green chakra against his back flickered before vanishing altogether. The medic felt her eyes becoming heavier by the second.

Sasuke nearly—_nearly_—panicked when he felt her fall against his now healed back. After discovering her even breaths and slow but strong heartbeat, he decided she was only sleeping. His senses found her chakra to be relatively low, and she was suffering from a minor case of chakra exhaustion. Shaking his head, he tucked her in before turning off the lights and getting in next to her.

**.**

**.**

While at work the next day, Sakura decided she felt bad for Sasuke. Not only were the kids little sugar-high brats, they ate nearly everything in sight. According to the hostages, the children were well fed at the orphanages. With the way they were acting, however, you'd think they hadn't ever seen a full plate of food.

Tsunade had scolded her again for pulling another late night shift. Sakura just simply told the Godaime that she had certain responsibilities as one of the top medics of the village.

When lots of patients needed to be tended to, Sakura usually stuck around to make sure that everyone was taken care of. The night staff was only half the amount as the day staff, so she knew they were grateful with her helping out. Especially with two hundred extra patients on top of all the normal ones. The janitors weren't happy either.

Tsunade had only let her go to the hospital on the strong promise that she would use little to no chakra. Sakura had agreed. They needed her here. She wasn't going to just sleep the day away because she didn't have chakra. Lots of citizens survived everyday without chakra use, couldn't she survive one?

Hours upon hours of diaper changing, feeding, disciplining, and reassuring later she finally went home. She laughed when she thought of how much fun Sasuke probably had with them.

The phone rang at the Uchiha Mansion, so she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Sakura! Just the person I wanted to talk to!"

"Ino? It's a bit late to be calling, don't you think?" Sakura looked at the clock. 9:45. It was dark outside, with not enough light from the crescent moon to light everything up.

"I know, I know! Anyway, I wanted to check out this new place downtown. A nightclub called _Eclipse_."

"Ino…" Sakura said hesitantly. "I don't think I can, I mean there's Sasuke and all…"

'Because he would flip if I told him I was going to a nightclub of all places! With Ino nonetheless!'

"Oh come on Sakura! Just because you're somebody's property—"

"_Ino_." Sakura warned. The blonde ignored it.

"—doesn't mean you can't have some fun!"

"Why can't you go with someone else?"

"Well, if I asked Tenten, then Neji would somehow find out. Sasuke is pretty protective, sure, but can you imagine a raving _Hyuuga_? Just thinking about it gives me the chills! I couldn't take Hinata, because one she's just too innocent for this kind of thing and two…" there was a pause, Ino's voice went softer. "Naruto would probably want to come."

Sakura's eyes widened at the thought and she shuddered. The last time they had taken Naruto to a club…well…some things are never meant to be relived.

The pink haired kunoichi sighed. "So how do you suggest I go about telling Sasuke I'm going to a nightclub?"

"I don't know, drug him if you have to! You're supposed to know about medicine like that, right?"

Sakura sighed just as the front door opened. "He's back." She said quickly. "I'll call you back if I get anything."

With quick goodbyes, the medic hung up and looked into the living room, where Sasuke had just uncharacteristically plopped on the couch and leaned his head back against the headrest.

"Sasuke?" She walked over and stood in front of him, a little off to the side. "Um…how was your day?" He was only dressed in Jounin uniform, so it probably hadn't been all that stressful.

"Awful." The Sharingan wielder looked over at her, his eyes less dark than they usually were. Cloudy, almost.

"Why?" She asked. He may just tell her to mind her own business, but maybe…

"I think I'm sick. Damn foreign countries." He sniffled lightly before saying, "I can't breathe, can't smell, can't taste. It's disgusting."

_I don't know, drug him if you have to!_

_Works even better if he has the flu._

She smiled to herself. "I've got just the thing for that! Hold on a minute!"

She ran off to the kitchen. Now, what was that recipe again?

**.**

**.**

The blonde put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Ino," Sakura was talking in a low voice. "It turns out that I can go."

"Really?" Ino asked.

"Yeah, let me get some things from my apartment and I'll meet you at your place."

Ino smiled excitedly.

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes:** This chapter was so frustrating to write! It seemed twice as long as it was because of the lack of dialogue. Again, sorry about getting it up late! Reeeeally sorry! I'll try to do better, but please don't get angry if I don't! Getting PMs that threaten me if I don't update really _don't_ encourage my writing and just get me in a bad mood.


	6. I've Got No Strings

**Author's Notes: (IMPORTANT) **I'd like to get one thing off my chest before I begin, and I know who will have read this by the reviews I get. If there isn't romance in every chapter, don't flip out. If there was no kissing in the chapter, I don't want to hear in the review "I want more FLUFF! Where's the FLUFF?" Calm down. See, there's this thing called character and story development. Speaking of getting impatient, authors on have real lives. We can't just dish out a chapter-per-day to appease you guys. I write whenever I can, but I can't write all the time. Reviews like "update soon!" are fine, but when I start getting reviews like "can u write the rest of it as soon as possible. i am getting impatient" and "aargh are you gonna update??" and "update already! it's been a month and a half!". All of those are real reviews, too. It's frustrating! Some of the people who've criticized my updating schedule are "authors" who don't even have any stories themselves. I thought about not updating at all, but then that wouldn't be fair to the people who have actually given me nice reviews. I'm saying it has to stop.

**Title Reference for Chapter Six: **"I've Got No Strings" from _Pinocchio_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 6: I've Got No Strings

**.**

**.**

The lights were blinding and the noise was at a steady din. They hadn't even stepped inside the club yet, but the two women knew that it would be the highlight of their night.

Ino and Sakura stood in a line that was waiting to get in. They held their ID in their hand, to make sure they were of legal age, and they managed to talk aimlessly about boys. Surprisingly, their conversation could be heard at a normal level, and they didn't have to shout everything. As of this moment, Sakura was telling her tale about getting Sasuke so drunk that he took what was obviously a sleeping pill without suspicion. The only thing Sakura regretted doing was putting on such a revealing outfit. Ino had cornered her in her now unused apartment before they had left and forced her into it.

A small, blood red spaghetti-strap top that showed her bellybutton and shorts she was almost afraid to bend over in. They weren't quite as bad as some of the pants of the drag queens, which disgustingly rode up their cracks, and they thankfully could not be considered as "hot pants", it was just discomforting to wear something shorter than usual. She had blatantly refused to put on a skirt of any kind. They had pockets in the back, which she had slipped her ID and a few twenties into. Sakura was not going to be burdened by a purse tonight.

Ino, however, seemed very comfortable in her outfit. Deep purple halter-top with a black mini-skirt. Since she was more accustomed to heels, the blonde had sexy stilettos that wound about halfway up her leg. Sakura had opted white and red Converse boots that didn't quite reach her knee. They were practical and framed her legs better.

When they finally got to the front of the line, all the bouncer took was one glance at the both of them before stepping aside to let them in. Apparently, the two kunoichi's, famous in their own respect, were known even around these parts.

_Eclipse_ was everything a nightclub was supposed to be. Blaring music, fancy drinks, drag queens, the works. There was a pristine granite topped bar that stretched half the length of one of the walls, and high tables and chairs were scattered off of the dance area. From the looks of it, there was another story in addition to this one, connected by a rod-iron staircase. The second floor was a mock story, and Sakura had seen a balcony when they walked in.

A bar it might have been, but it sure was a classy one.

Deciding they should get tipsy later, the two kunoichi's shot over to the dance floor. The music was upbeat and loud, perfect for a carefree night. It was just what Sakura needed to get Sasuke off of her mind.

Soon, she found herself separated from Ino, but still having the time of her life. The pink haired medic was dancing as wild as she dared, earning looks from single men and making jealous girlfriends smack their ogling boyfriends. Haruno Sakura was going to be wild tonight, and there wasn't a person who would stop her.

The song ended, and there was hardly a pause before the next one began. The guitar was strong, and it was like the DJ knew exactly what she wanted tonight. Except dancing in the same spot was becoming monotonous. Boring, almost.

That was when she spotted the cage.

Spiral stairs led up to a dancing cage that overlooked the dance floor. She walked to it and practically hopped up the stairs in her haste. Licking her lips, she shut the metal door behind her, and began her dance once again.

She sensed movement beside her, and a dark haired man she didn't recognize stepped into the cage with her. Even in the strange lighting in the club, she could see he was a very attractive male. Feeling brave, she beckoned him closer with a finger and a wink. He smirked what he thought must have been sexily, but Sakura thought it wasn't anything impressive. Compared to Sasuke's very male smirk, this guy's was plain and unoriginal.

He danced as close as he could, the cage was only just big enough for two.

He didn't stay for long though, once he was bored he left.

However, Sakura didn't have time to be disappointed. Numerous songs came with numerous men who dared to join her. All of them were relatively good-looking too. Who knew Konoha had such hot guys?

One, however, left an impression.

Sakura thought he'd be just another guy coming to dance. She had boredly looked around after the last song ended to find Ino dancing with a few men of her own. The medic spotted him when his foot hit the last step and he stepped in the cage confidently. The next song began and his hands were on her waist in an instant. He was good, and he knew it too.

"Meet me on the balcony in fifteen minutes, I'll buy you a drink." He told her. Sakura smiled and agreed. A drink sounded good right about now.

About fifteen minutes later, Sakura stood on the balcony, which had a good view of the Hokage Mountain. She leaned against the railing and waited. A minute passed, and then three. She was sure the vein on her head was visible, and she had to resist crumpling the metal in front of her. She had given up her cage, her perfect spot, to be stood up? Not Haruno Sakura!

She was _this_ close to stomping back into the building and giving him a piece of her mind, when she felt someone coming up behind her. It was almost cute the way he thought he could sneak up on her. Only one person could do that to her, and she knew that person was drugged up in bed.

The tan-haired boy took her shoulders, as she knew he would, and spun her around. He held her against him and tried to swoop his head down for a kiss, but she put a finger to them and tutted, signaling not yet. He grinned and kissed her finger instead, leading her by the waist to the bar.

He ordered a Hazelnut Breeze, a drink that sounded fancy but had barely an alcohol, and then looked at her. She placed her order as a Kryptonite. She'd never had it before, but it sounded strong, just what she needed. Malibu rum, vodka, pineapple juice, and something called madori, which she had never heard of before.

Her "date" raised a brow at her, and she winked back at him.

They talked about nothing in particular until their drinks came. She grabbed hers and took a sip…or maybe a few sips. It was good. The man beside her suggested they sit over at one of the more secluded tables. Suspicious. This man definitely had something planned for the night, and Sakura was pretty sure she was included.

"Alex! What the hell are you doing?"

The tan-haired boy—Alex, she presumed—jumped and jostled her drink in the process. The contents of her drink went crashing into the front of her blouse, staining it a dark reddish/brown color. She knew she should have opted for black.

"Ami, really, it isn't what it looks like!"

At the name, Sakura looked around to find a mousy-haired girl with promiscuous clothes and a weak glare. The nin sighed, it was her (other) archrival from back at the academy. She'd flunked out because she was really only there because Sasuke was enrolled as well. Ami Wantanabe would have never made a very good kunoichi anyway, she was afraid of anything that crawled. The medic smiled at the thought of her and Shino in the same vicinity. Sweet bliss.

Currently, said dropout was coddling her boyfriend, arm looped through his, saying something that sounded suspiciously like "…not as good as Sasuke…but whatever."

Her attention cut over to the pink-haired girl, and Ami narrowed her eyes in confusion for a moment. "Forehead-bitch?"

So she still remembered. Damn.

"So you dropped out too?" She laughed. "I hated the academy, waste of my life." Was this girl not up-to-date with anything? Not only didn't she know that Sakura had passed the academy with flying colors, but she was now Jounin, head medic, and Hokage's apprentice. "You're still the same slut as back then, too."

Sakura's jaw dropped. This girl was unbelievable.

"Trying to steal my Alex, just like you tried to steal my Sasuke-kun. Don't worry though, I'll take good care of Sasuke-kun for you." She licked her lips. "_Really_ good care."

It took all of the pink-haired woman's self-control not to smack her forehead.

"Did she hurt you Alex-kun?" Ami sweet-talked.

"She tried to get me to go home with her, but she couldn't hurt me if she tried."

"That's a lie!" Sakura blurted. "He was the one all up on _me_!"

Ami glared. "That's it." She said, disentangling herself from Alex. "You and me. I'm going to kick your ass for spouting such lies."

By now, a crowd had gathered and they were chanting "fight, fight, fight!"

Ami rushed at the girl she used to pick on, fist raised. Sakura simply sidestepped her when she got too close. Now as mad as a bull, Ami turned and rushed at her again. Sakura's back was turned, so Ami thought she had the upper hand.

She turned out to be wrong, of course. Later, Sakura would blame it on the alcohol, but at the moment it was frustration with more than a few hints of anger. She turned, grabbed the other girl's wrist, bent it around her back, and pinned her to the stone floor. If any of the spectators blinked, they would have missed it.

"Don't you ever, _ever_, doubt that I am a ninja, you lowlife." Sakura hissed.

Since the brown haired girl was dazed and not likely to want to punch her lights out anymore, Sakura walked calmly but dangerously towards Alex. He began to back up, the crowd parting, and she could see his eyes darting around looking for an escape.

Sakura stopped in front of him, and he straightened slightly, thinking that she was only a girl. Men shouldn't lose to women, right?

"By the way, sorry about the problem with your face and all." She brought a finger towards his face. Alex let his guard down, she couldn't do anything with a finger! Ha! He put his hands in his pockets and slouched casually.

"What problem?" He looked cocky. Sakura hated it.

"This one." With that she flicked his nose and heard a distinct crunching sound as he flew to the other side of the balcony. Sakura was vaguely reminded of the time that Tsunade told her she did the same thing to Naruto, only without breaking his nose.

Alex was now writhing and whimpering in pain near the bar, and the bartender whispered something like "finally."

The medic nin walked off the balcony and back into the building. She managed to make it through the door before a tingling went through her body. Her eyes, once shining in confidence, were now wide in horror.

Sasuke was waking up.

She ran around the entire club looking for Ino, but there was no sign of the blonde.

How could she have been so stupid? Of all the times to be careless, it just had to be now. Sasuke was practically immune to alcohol, and if by chance he actually got drunk, he got sober in nothing flat. Sleeping pills were probably nothing to him either. ANBU could sniff out any drug that might hurt them or poison them or, say, put them to sleep. They were insusceptible to simple sleeping pills like she had given him.

When she found Ino, she found her a bit tipsy and chatting up some guy at the bar. Sakura pulled her away, and told her she'd explain on the way home. Ino waved a "bye, bye!" to the guy she'd just left, and followed her out the door.

The bouncer stopped Sakura and thanked her for taking care of the idiot upstairs.

Sakura explained the situation to the blonde, while jumping across rooftops as fast as she could. They parted ways, and Sakura pumped chakra into her feet once she hit the ground.

She sped into the Uchiha compound and skidded sideways once she reached the front door. She ran through the house.

Need to burn or wash clothes. Former was faster, the latter was preferable. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she opened the door to the laundry. She stripped herself of everything and stuffed it in the washer before turning it on. She sighed, thankful she had gotten away with her little plan, when she heard Sasuke coming downstairs. Her heart sped up again when she realized she was naked.

She harshly opened the door to the dryer, and managed, on some stroke of luck, to find one of her nightgowns inside. She slipped it on and slipped out of her boots just as Sasuke stopped in the doorway. He leaned against the frame, blocking her only escape route, and folded his arms across his chest.

"What are you doing up?" He asked her.

Excuse! Excuse! Excuse!

He sniffed. "Is that alcohol?"

Excuse! Excuse! Excuse!

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Sakura…"

"Ino went to this new bar and the bartender called and wanted me to make sure she got home safe."

…where had that come from again?

"And the alcohol?"

"She spilled her drink on me, so I came home and did a load of laundry while I was at it. Couldn't sleep."

Thank you, complete and total bullshit. We tip our hats.

"Are you feeling better?" Sakura changed the subject.

"Much." He raised an eyebrow. "What did you give me?"

The Uchiha didn't miss the nanosecond of panic in her green eyes, but let it go after she held a finger to her mouth and whispered, "It's a secret." Which was the truth.

Sasuke clucked his tongue once. "Go get some sleep, I need to see the Hokage about something."

Sakura blinked, just now noticing he was in full ANBU getup. "Okay."

He walked towards her and touched her forehead, something she knew to be a gesture of affection from his past. She was surprised he did it, seeing how the gesture came from Itachi. "Don't do anything wild while I'm gone, yeah?" He turned.

Sakura's voice hitched. "Okay."

Sasuke turned his head and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He just walked away.

Sakura breathed a heavy sigh and walked to his room. She felt a flutter go through her at the thought that she really had gotten away with drugging him and disrupting the whole owner/possession system. Not only had she flirted, quite a lot actually, she had lied her heart out without being caught. It felt good to escape her restrictions once in awhile. Lying down on the bed, she switched off the lamp before unknowingly snuggling into the place her owner had just vacated, feeling the intense warmth that radiated there.

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **Terribly sorry for the long wait, hope this chapter was up to your expectations. As always reviews are always appreciated, suggestions for the plotline are welcomed as well. I actually use some of the advice that comes into my e-mail. Not much fluff in this chapter, I know, but that's because Sasuke is drugged. Poor Sasuke (not really).


	7. Some Day My Prince Will Come

**Author's Notes: **So here I am, searching for a good chapter title (because I can't write a chapter without knowing the title of it, I'm just strange like that) and I come across this Disney CD song list. I click on the link, read through it, and give a giant "What the _crap_?" I don't care how "good" High School Musical was, both singers sucked in my opinion, you can't put "Breaking Free" with The Lion King, Sleeping Beauty, Merry Poppins, and Bambi. It's a crime against nature! Already furious about that, I scroll down to find Raven's version of "Superstition"! That song takes a Stevie Wonder _classic_ turns it around and _butchers_ it into some crappy pop-idol song! Thirty years from now, my kid is probably going to be listening to that song on their iPod and I'm going to have to beat the good stuff back into their head! Honestly! Then I scroll down and see a Cheetah Girls song (shudder) and nearly burst out in tears. Disney has gone to the dogs. I'm starting a "Don't BS the Classics" campaign.

**Title Reference for Chapter Seven: **"Some Day My Prince Will Come" from _Snow White_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 7: Some Day My Prince Will Come

**.**

**.**

"Sakura, wake up."

"Ungh…"

"Sakura."

She swatted at his hand.

Sasuke leaned downed and smirked next to her ear. "_Sakura_." He purred.

Said girl sat bolt upright in bed, knocking their two heads together rather forcefully. There was a coconut-hitting-coconut sound and Sasuke drew in breath through his teeth while Sakura yelped. "Ow…" She looked at the clock. "You do realize it's four in the morning and I got in _very late_ last night?" She bit her lip as she took in his attire. "You're going on another mission, aren't you?" She hoped he didn't hear the worry and disappointment in her voice. She wasn't expecting it either.

He nodded, and she could hardly see him. It was pretty much pitch black since the moon was in a waning crescent and there were no other lights on in the house. "Tsunade is going to Suna to speak with Gaara. It's a bodyguard mission, but she won't need it."

True.

"Are you going alone?"

"No. Naruto will be with me."

She felt better about the whole thing now. Although Naruto _and_ Sasuke seemed a bit extreme since they were two of the most powerful ninja in the village, but the council would have no less. Tsunade was probably grumbling about having to be protected.

"Be safe, Sasuke."

"I'm _always_ safe." He smiled lightly at her, using her own words against her. "Go back to sleep. I'll be gone by the time you get up."

She nodded as his hands pushed her back down. He left and went downstairs, sitting at the kitchen table. He wasn't expected at the front gate for about an hour, so he got himself some coffee and read the newspaper. Something reminded him that he had forgotten something upstairs. He quieted his footsteps and lowered his chakra so Sakura wouldn't be disturbed. So he wouldn't trip, he activated his Sharingan, which practically gave him night vision.

He opened the door and saw his charge still sleeping. He smiled slightly, leaning against the doorframe, watching her for a moment. It was then he noticed that she was sleeping in the center, curling into his side of the bed. He laughed a little before kissing her cheek, grabbing whatever he had left, and leaving again.

It was only after he left the room that Sakura cracked her eyes open and she smiled.

**.**

**.**

The next two days were filled with work. Work at the hospital took up the majority of her time, and when it didn't she was doing paperwork for Tsunade. She would stay up late at night, watching television, sitting on the floor in front of the couch, and writing reports on the coffee table in front of her.

On day two, she went to lunch with Hinata on her break. Both of them, being around Naruto for so long, were tiring of ramen and opted for sushi instead.

Hinata had, like the rest of them, grown up in so many ways. She was now an accomplished jounin, not to mention she was in a very serious relationship with Naruto. She had grown her hair down to mid-back. Like the rest of them, she wore a variation of her old attire, this time without the fur. She had a little tan, but was pale in comparison to her boyfriend, who was naturally bronze to begin with.

They sat at the bar, talking about whatever came to their minds, mostly work and boys, when the topic of a vacation came up.

"We need a girl's weekend to ourselves." Sakura said. "Just the four of us."

"Yes, the mountains are lovely this time of year."

"I'm starting to get cabin fever, staying in Konoha for so long." Sakura sighed. "I never realized I'd be all cooped up when I decided to become a medic."

"I agree. Even though I'd hate to be away from home for as long as Naruto is. It seems like he only visits home anymore."

Sakura nodded. "I guess when it's put that way…" She bit her lip. "Is it selfish of me to want to go on more missions? I was trained for the battleground, but people need me here."

"It's not selfish. That's just life."

She smiled. "True, true. Well, it's about time for me to start heading back." She stopped the white-eyes girl as she made a motion to pay. "My treat."

**.**

**.**

Sakura changed into her silk, light blue pajamas. It was more of a dress, really, with spaghetti straps and a hem that ended mid-thigh. It had been her birthday gift from her mother, and she hadn't gotten to wear it a whole lot. Especially since the whole Sasuke ordeal. She wasn't about to wear something like this in front of any guy until she had a ring around her finger, but that wasn't likely to happen now…

So she figured she better wear it while he was away on missions or she'd never get to wear it at all.

This wasn't the first time that Sakura decided paperwork was evil. It held a power no jutsu could replicate, making your eyes and head hurt and your limbs cramp and go numb. She half entertained that Orochimaru, now deceased, had come up with the idea in the first place.

She had gotten maybe two hours of sleep when her ninja awareness awoke her. There were the faint traces of a "poof" in the room, telling her that someone had just invited themselves in. She reached for the kunai on the nightstand and sat up abruptly.

"Haruno Sakura, there is a medical emergency. Your presence is requested at the hospital immediately."

No threat. He was a Konoha nin.

"I'll be there shortly."

He disappeared in a puff of smoke, and she jumped up, performed a hand-seal, and disappeared herself.

It caused no panic for the receptionist when Sakura popped in, quite literally. Sakura had shown up in her pajamas many times before, but her in such an outfit made most of the men in the room do double takes.

Sakura growled at their stares. If she had known she would be here tonight, she wouldn't have worn the darn thing.

An assistant handed her a medic coat and a hair-tie and rushed her to the operating room. The woman was giving her the stats of the boy as they ran, and Sakura realized it was the boy she had treated a few weeks back for liquid in his lungs. Worse than that, one of his ribs was broken, and had pierced his right lung, and the left was filling up with fluid.

She burst into the operating room to find one doctor working on rebuilding the collapsed lung while the other one was working on the rib. She bit her lip and steadied herself for the procedure.

She would have to perform the same technique that she had on Kankuro a few years back to get the poison out of his system when Gaara was kidnapped. There were already nurses on standby to deliver the necessary fluid that she would need to force the liquid out of the boy's lung. The problem was however, as she discovered quickly, Sakura only had a limited amount of space to work since there was a doctor directly opposite her.

The assistants came to hold the kid down and she pushed the first batch through. He jumped, and everyone tightened their hold. She drew out about one-fourths of the fluid, which meant it wouldn't take very long.

…or at least that's what she thought. When she had pushed the second batch through, half of what she had taken out had already been replenished. Her jaw clenched as she continued the procedure. She had to work quickly or else she would never get this fluid down to a manageable level!

To make matters worse, three nurses were whispering near the boy's abdomen about something. Sakura wasn't paying attention to what they were saying…scratch that, she _couldn't_ pay attention to them, she had a job to do.

"Um…Miss Haruno?"

Time nearly stopped in the room as most of the heads around the operating table swiveled to the one nurse. It was an unspoken rule that you did not break a medic's concentration during an operation.

"Um…we can't figure out where this rib goes and…"

Sakura pulled the current fluid out of the boy's lung and growled in a way that she would later blame on influence from a certain Uchiha. She examined the spot for _two seconds_, and replaced the bone with a flick of her wrist. The doctor across from her ordered the three women out of the room to be dealt with later.

By the time Sakura returned to her work, she had to start all over again.

**.**

**.**

Hours later, when the fluid had become manageable and the other lung was stabilized, they had put some strong medicine in an IV drip and sent the child off to a room. The three nurses' names were taken up and would be given in the report for Tsunade to deal with.

Sakura had a talk with the mother about his current condition, and asked how his rib came to be broken.

"He was playing in the backyard and I called him in for dinner. He was coming up the porch stairs when the cat got under his feet and tripped him. We were having a party to celebrate my husband's promotion and I allowed him to stay up." Mrs. Tanoshi's voice broke at the end and she erupted in sobs a moment later.

By the time she was ready to leave, it had been nearly five hours since she had left Sasuke's house. Needless to say, she was thoroughly exhausted and wanted to get back in bed.

Walking down to her office, she put her coat on the hook and reached into one of her cabinets for a spare change of clothes.

…Dang. She had forgotten to put some more in there after she took them out the last time. The good thing was she did manage to find some flip-flops at the bottom. She would need them since she didn't have the energy to poof herself home or go roof hopping. She'd have to walk. She had enough energy to make it home, at least.

Grabbing the lab coat to hide her choice of clothing, she slipped on the shoes and walked out the front door. It had to be at least two in the morning, and the sky was clear ad pitch black. There was a new moon out, but Sakura could easily see all the stars.

About fifteen minutes into her trip home, Sakura had to focus on her breathing. Something else she had forgotten was how much energy that procedure took out of her. If she were closer to the hospital, she would have turned back around and slept in her office, but she was closer to the Uchiha Manor now anyway. Five more minutes and she'd be there.

It was getting awfully dark though, and she frowned. It was now she regretted her decision to walk back. If someone attacked her, she wouldn't be able to fight them off at all.

"Hey, sweetie."

_Why-oh-why did I have to think bad thoughts? _She asked herself.

Sakura turned to meet three men who were clearly as drunk as all get out. They were also clearly not ninja, so maybe she stood a chance. The one on the left stepped towards her, and she waited before he was close enough before stomping on his foot and using the last of her energy to high tail it out of there, but not before the coat was ripped off of her.

"She wants us boys, look what she's wearing!"

Sakura decided that she was burning this outfit as soon as she got back.

It felt like running through mud. Your muscles were screaming at you but it didn't seem like you were going anywhere at all. Fortunately, they were drunk, so her attackers were slowed down and uncoordinated themselves.

She ducked into an alley and hid beside a dumpster, out of their view. They passed, and she was so happy she cried tears of relief. She stepped out of her hiding spot and promptly slipped on a puddle of what smelled like alcohol.

The medic tried to move but her body felt paralyzed, like her muscles had just given up. The most she managed to do was to roll to one side.

**Get up!**Her Inner Self screamed. **You've got to get up! They'll find you if you don't! **

Sakura shakily and painfully put a hand on the ground and pushed her torso up when her arm muscles felt like water and she collapsed again, hitting her head on the pavement.

**Get up! Get up! Get up! **

It was no use though. Everything had shut down, and her body was falling asleep to replenish her chakra levels. More tears escaped as she heard voices coming her way and glass break on asphalt. What's worse was she was completely out in the open.

Before darkness claimed her, she took the hand that was nearest her necklace and wrapped her fingers around the heart.

_Sasuke…_

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **Ack! I am so sorry about the wait! I really hate it when authors don't update for months and then I turn around and do it myself! Again, so, so, so, sorry! You won't have to wait that long for a Dear Annie update, I promise! Chapter 11 is almost complete, so maybe a week-ish. Thank you so much to all who have waited patiently and reviewed! I appreciate it more than you know! Sorry if the chapter was shorter, I'll make the next one longer, promise!


	8. Elimination, Lack of Education

**Author's Notes: **Wow, I really didn't expect to get so many comments on the whole Disney thing! It's nice to know that some people feel the way I do about this stuff. Anyway, for those of you who actually read this part, I won't keep you waiting. And now for the conclusion…

**Title Reference for Chapter Eight: **"Elimination, Lack of Education" from _The Fox and the Hound_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 8: Elimination, Lack of Education

**.**

**.**

…_help me._

Sasuke's head, which had been leaning against his chest in a relaxed position, snapped up. Every one of his muscles tensed, and there was that slight feeling of panic through his veins.

He was standing off to the side beside the door that led to the meeting room. While Naruto was on the outside of the room, enjoying semi-silence, Sasuke was positioned on the inside, listening to Suna's council and Tsunade debate, with Gaara putting in a few words only when required.

Naruto had complained that he wasn't inside, paying attention to how the Kages operated, but the entire council had worried that the blond boy would interrupt the meeting with comments on his own. Tsunade didn't see how that was a bad thing, because Naruto often had useful input, but she had stationed him outside to avoid getting the council riled up. Although looking through his mask at the shouting, foul-tempered council, Sasuke didn't think there'd be any difference.

Sasuke's mask was that of a wolf. Dangerous and cunning, yet always protecting his pack. His onyx eyes made looking through the eyeholes useless, it was like there was nothing there. A man with no soul. A ghost inside of the uniform. The grim reaper. That wasn't the scariest part, however. Once the Uchiha activated his clan's bloodline limit—a burst of red after a fearful darkness—it was like seeing the eyes of the demon from Hell. Once his victims saw those eyes, the adrenaline and pure, unadulterated fear inside of them told them that they were going to die.

Thankfully, the said mask had hidden the somewhat disgusted look directed to the fools that made up Gaara's council. The two Kages were the only ones who had a lick of sense in this room. Now, the Uchiha's mask also hid his now widened eyes and his mouth that stood slightly agape. His hands clenched in their crossed position.

Sakura. It had to be the pink haired kunoichi. No one else could communicate with him this way.

Something was wrong.

Meanwhile, Tsunade's head had whipped in his direction the moment he had made the sudden move. She may have been getting on in her years, but she wasn't stupid. Due to extensive medical training and common sense, the Hokage could see every muscle in his body tense, like a coil ready to spring. His eyes met her honey-colored ones, and there was a flash of red.

Suddenly, the talking around her ceased, and she looked to see that everyone, including the Kazekage, was frozen in their spot. Not moving. Not breathing. They had been frozen in their exact places in a burst of sepia, like an antique photograph. All except for Sasuke and herself. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was in a genjutsu of his. He was inside her mind.

The Uchiha pushed off from the wall, the fire still blazing behind that mask. "Sakura is in danger."

The scrutinizing look that she had just put on for his purpose quickly faltered. "Are you sure?"

He gave one curt nod.

She bit her lip, careful not to break eye contact with him. Breaking eye contact would end the illusion, and it was easier to talk like this when she knew that in the real world it would only be a one second lapse.

"Go." Tsunade said at last.

"Pardon?" She could tell, even hidden by his mask, that he was confused.

"Go save her. Naruto is strong enough to protect me, and I'm not _that_ old, you know." She winked. "Oh, while I'm thinking about it." She rummaged blindly around in her pocket and threw him something. "A soldier pill. Now go, that's an order!"

The people around her reanimated and finished their sentences. More than a few of them gave a start when the ANBU poofed out of the room.

_Godspeed, Sasuke. _

**.**

**.**

It seemed that wherever Sakura went, trouble followed her like a dog looking for a bone.

This was the first fact that ran through the last Uchiha's head as he sprinted towards Konoha. It would normally be a three-day travel back to the leaf village, but with his unnatural speed and stamina, not to mention a soldier pill, he'd make it home in five hours or less.

The one thing that people tended to overlook was time difference between the fire and wind countries. There was a good three hours difference between the villages, and since Sand was in the West, the clock would spring forward as Sasuke moved back East. Since it was eleven now, it was two in the morning in Konoha. By the time he got back, it would be roughly seven. However, that was if he kept at this same pace for the entire time with no rest breaks. That was highly unlikely, however.

His thoughts strayed back to the pink haired woman. He would have to tell her everything sooner or later. At the moment, his instincts screamed 'sooner', but he was leaning towards 'later'. If he told her, she would probably forego the pain and he'd be at the bottom of a really large hole in the ground. She'd start screaming, that was a given, and there would probably be some tears involved, he couldn't be sure.

Mentally, he tried to reach out to her. Through the bond, he checked her heartbeat. It seemed weak, but he couldn't be sure if that was from her weakness or the distance between them. This bond was like a radio signal, the closer he was, the stronger he felt her. She must really have had to make an effort for reaching him all the way in Suna.

Noticing he had slowed, Sasuke berated himself for getting so distracted.

He just hoped that he would be quick enough.

**.**

**.**

Sakura had been fighting her body in a half asleep state for what seemed like days already. She would fall asleep and then her split personality would make a loud racket in her head, forcing her to open her eyes.

**Stay awake!** Inner Sakura yelled angrily.

Too…tired…

It was at this point that a memory was flashed in front of her eyes. The day when they had all been fresh out of the academy, ready to be put into their teams of three. Sakura shyly asked to sit next to Sasuke. Naruto, having been absolutely infatuated with Sakura at the time, got right up in his future teammate's face to see what the big deal was. The kid behind Naruto accidentally bumped into him, and there you have it. History.

Naruto and Sasuke kissing…

Naruto and Sasuke _kissing_…

Naruto and Sasuke kissing!

The memory played over and over in her head until Sakura was awake, or at least not falling in and out of sleep constantly. She still didn't have the energy to move or even, heck, open her eyes all the way. Though if she fell asleep now, the nightmares would wake her up for sure.

But sure enough, about an hour later, her eyelids started to droop, her body going against her. _I've got to stay awake…got to stay awake…stay…awake…_

"Sakura, what have you done now?"

Said girl's muscles locked down, preparing for the worst. _Why didn't I sense him?_ At the moment, she couldn't tell whose chakra it was, but it was definitely male. She knew from the baritone voice.

She blinked sleepily, trying to make his shape come into focus. All she could see was a blurry mass right now, signaling it could be just about anybody, friend or foe. It could be _Orochimaru_, for all she knew…if he was still alive, that is.

The man crouched down next to her. "I keep telling you not to overdo it, but do you ever listen?" A hand was pressed against her forehead and the man clicked his tongue. "You've got a fever."

Sakura felt one arm under her knees and another under her back, lifting her up off of the dirty ground. She shivered as she felt the cold air hit her wet back. Her muscles tensed again, from the cold and the fact that she was being carried off to who-knows-where by who-knows-who.

"Relax, I'm taking you home."

Ah, home. A warm bath, with lots of scented bubbles and soaps, the radio playing quietly in the background and a rubber ducky to keep her company. Good food, with lots of tea and fruit and—dare she say it?—ramen. Most importantly, however, a nice warm cozy bed, with wonderful sheets, a fluffy pillow, and she wouldn't even mind the presence of Sasuke next to her—with his arm around her middle, his body heat _oh-so-very_ close and comforting, and his breath tickling her ear. As long as she could sleep peacefully for a few hours, she wouldn't really mind that _at all_.

Her feeling of bliss evaporated when she heard the man's next sentence.

"What the _hell_ are you _wearing_?"

**.**

**.**

Sasuke reached Konoha, out of breath, at promptly six forty-five. The sun was just starting to come up and early-morning mist was still thick in the air. The soldier pill had given him more than enough energy, giving him an extra boost during the last half of the journey. The truth was that he would have tired out earlier, even if his muscles still remembered the harsh training under Orochimaru. His stamina had further been improved during his probation, where he was given disciplinary training with Gai for eight hours a day, for an entire week. He would fall prey to Gai's ridiculous goals for the day (like running two hundred laps around the city) and if he failed, then he was forced to do some other ridiculous task (like four hundred, one-handed pushups with a boulder on his back) By the end of the week, Gai-sensei had been lightly sweating five minutes before Sasuke broke out with a slight sheen. Gai was up there in the record books, but he wasn't an Uchiha.

After assuring the guards at the front gate that the Godaime wasn't in any kind of trouble, he jumped onto the nearest roof and began to search for his possession. The Uchiha appreciated the Sharingan for all its usefulness, but he was starting to wish that his bloodline talents were combined with a few traits from the Byakugan.

Tiring quickly, he stopped on a flat roof. He needed a faster way to find his former teammate other than scouring the entire village. He'd swallow his own Kusanagi before asking a Hyuuga for help. An idea came into his head, and he would have slapped himself if he weren't in public.

_Duh._

Biting his thumb, drawing blood, he performed a few hand-seals before yelling, "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke and through it, Sasuke was able to see the thirteen foot long King Cobra he had just summoned.

"_Sasuke-sama."_ The snake hissed, dragging out its S's. _"Long time no see."_

"Osiris, I need you to find someone for me."

A flash of annoyance went through the snake's eyes at being called for such a reason, but he squelched it down _very_ quickly. This was Uchiha Sasuke, after all. _"Who?"_

"Haruno Sakura. I believe you've met her before."

There was a flash of surprise in the snake's eyes. Of course he had met the kunoichi before…in battle. However, that was when he had been under Orochimaru's rule. _"Should I bite her?"_ He asked, snapping his jaws in anticipation so his two venomous fangs could clearly be seen.

His master's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You lay one _scale_ on her and I'll split you in half."

The Cobra was only slightly amused. _"Ooh, touchy."_ He slithered to leave. _"Very well then."_

When the snake had gone, Sasuke sat down and meditated to conserve what little energy he had left. This way, he could just poof himself to whatever location Sakura was. His snake would tell him where, down to the exact location.

They hadn't always been his snakes, it was one of the many things he had inherited from Orochimaru. When the sannin was still alive, the reptiles had been disobedient to the young Uchiha, but Orochimaru had taught him to summon them nevertheless. Once Sasuke had killed the sannin and word got around, the once disloyal snakes made him their master. A female adder had told him that most of the snake population liked him as their master better than Orochimaru anyway. Sasuke suspected she had been sucking up, like most of the female population did around him, snake or not.

The ones he mainly used in fights, however, were Black Mambas. He could summon them and they could kill a man as large as Ibiki with only a few swift bites. Sasuke could summon them from a mile away and tell them who their target was. It saved him a lot of effort. Black Mambas, however, lived in the thrill of battle. If he had sent the deadliest snake in the world off to search for the pink haired woman, she'd have been dead long before he reached her.

No matter how loyal they were, any man would be foolish to fully trust a snake.

There was a movement to his right, signaling that the creature had returned. Due to the lack of screams, Sasuke guessed he had traveled in the shadows, unseen.

"_I found her."_ He hissed. _"She is in your house."_

Sasuke stood. "That will be all, you're dismissed Osiris."

"_Sasuke-sama, you should also know that there was someone in the house with her."_

Sasuke paused. "You're sure?"

"_Yes, but I didn't recognize the chakra signature."_

The dark haired boy nodded curtly before doing a few seals and using the last of his energy to transport himself into his room.

Sakura was lying in his bed, buried underneath the covers. Her head was the only thing visible, and he saw a cool washcloth laid across it. She was sick? He sat on the edge of the bed and removed the now dry piece of cloth. Her forehead was still warm to the touch, she probably had a temperature at 101 at the most.

Sasuke's hand drifted down towards her jaw line. In her sleep, Sakura's brows furrowed before she relaxed and her head unconsciously tilted in the direction of his touch. The Uchiha mentally sighed in relief. The medic may have looked a little worse for wear, but she was safe. That was all that mattered to him at this point.

The door to his bedroom opened and Sasuke nearly gave himself whiplash, snapping his head to the person. He had forgotten about the other chakra that Osiris had sensed. It turned out however, that he didn't have to be worried.

The man looked like he had known that the prodigy had been there since he stepped into the house. He was carrying another cloth to put on Sakura's head, and Sasuke figured that he knew a little bit of medicinal techniques that he picked up from his fiancée. The man put up a hand in greeting.

"Yo."

Sasuke tilted his head backwards slightly to acknowledge his presence. "Kakashi."

"I didn't expect you to be home for a few days." He gave the cloth to Sasuke, who draped it across his sleeping student's not-as-large-as-everyone-thought forehead.

"I…sensed that she was in trouble." He looked back at the former ANBU. "You brought her here?"

"Yes. Quite the state she was in when I found her." An emotion flickered through Kakashi's visible eye. "Can I talk to you outside, Sasuke?" He looked down at the sleeping girl, seemingly afraid to wake her.

Sasuke stood, and followed the older man into the hallway. He shut the door and was roughly grabbed by the front of his ANBU uniform, coming up to Kakashi's eye level. "You _bought_ her?" He asked, his one eye narrowed.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "You know?"

"_Don't_ take me for a fool. I've seen that necklace and know it has some of your chakra in it." He was gritting his teeth behind the mask. "Now, _why_ did you do it?" There was an underlying statement of _"…and it had better be good."_

"I had to!" Sasuke hissed. "There was no other choice!"

Kakashi blinked, a bit dumbfounded. "Are you…shitting me?"

"The _hell_ I'm not _shitting_ you!" Sasuke sighed. At least he didn't look like he wanted to murder the remaining Uchiha in cold blood anymore. "I told this to Naruto as well: Sakura should hear my reasons before anyone else. Once she knows I'll stand on top of the mountain and _sing it_ to the entire city. Maybe I'll even dance."

While Kakashi found it hard to keep a straight face, he genuinely wondered how his former student could say all that with a completely stoic look. He wouldn't have even let the Uchiha off the hook if he hadn't sounded so frustrated and sincere when he said that he had to buy her. He looked a tad bit angry also, but it seemed like he was angry at something else.

Letting him go with a chuckle, Kakashi decided to let the subject go…for now. "Fine, fine. You really should tell her soon, you know. Everyone is practically shaking with anxiety. You don't tell her soon and an angry mob is going to—"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Everyone?" He asked in a half whisper.

Kakashi gulped. "Whoop-see. Did I say _everyone_? I really meant…"

The prodigy shook his head. "Never mind. It's none of their business anyway." He was going to maim a certain Ino-pig-blabbermouth when this was all over with.

Kakashi took out the latest _Icha Icha Paradise_ and opened it to his bookmark. His eyes lit up as another question popped into his head. "Sasuke…" He waggled his eyebrows once they made eye-contact. He never thought he would see the day when the Uchiha's eyes would widen faster and his blood pressure would be jacked up as it did when he asked his next question. "How good is she in—"

Before he finished, however, Sasuke was death-gripping the front of his jounin vest, the Sharingan fully activated. "You finish that sentence and you'll be seeing a whole lot more of your wife-to-be in the near future."

Kakashi looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sasuke? Kakashi?"

Immediately, the dark haired boy let go of Kakashi's vest, and his bloodline limit was quickly switched off. Kakashi smiled beneath the mask, waiting for the woman's owner's reaction to her choice of sleepwear.

He got one all right.

Sasuke's eyes widened, his mouth dropped slightly, and if you looked closely, a tiny bit of red was coloring his cheeks. Suddenly, he felt that Kakashi's last question was somewhat justified.

Sakura, of course, took no notice to his expression. She was delirious, what with her temperature being over 100 and all, and she was still sleepy. The two men outside had been making such a ruckus, though she couldn't make out what they were saying, that she had to come see what all the fuss was about. Her hair was messy, one strap of her gown had slipped over her shoulder, and, if possible, it had been hiked even higher on her thighs.

"What are you two fighting about?" She asked while rubbing her eyes.

"Nothing, Sakura. You can go back to bed now." Kakashi said.

"But…I…" She turned towards Sasuke, confused. "I thought you were supposed to be gone a week."

He raised a somewhat amused eyebrow, trying to squelch down the full intensity of his blush. "Go back to bed Sakura."

Her feet spun around of their own accord, and she gasped in indignation. "But I'm hungry!"

"I'll bring you up something in a minute."

With a "hmph!" she grudgingly got back in bed.

Sasuke shut the door and then rested his forehead against it, momentarily forgetting that there was someone else in the hallway with him.

"What the _hell_ is she _wearing_?"

Kakashi laughed. "Well seeing as my services are no longer needed, I'll take my leave." He did a one handed seal before disappearing with a "poof" that they, as kids, had grown accustomed to hearing.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was still thinking about that dress. No. No way on God's green earth could that be considered a _dress_. It more or less fit under the category of _lingerie_.

He thought about burning it, so it wouldn't be a distraction, but then he shook his head. And smirked. Now that he thought about it, he wouldn't burn it, that would just be wasteful.

He had _plans_ for that dress of hers.

**.**

**.**

Uchiha Sasuke, lone survivor of the Uchiha Massacre and ex missing-nin, was many things, but he was not domestically challenged. The first days after the massacre were hard, not only having to deal with the loss of his family, but the problem of finding sustenance and the fact that he had been rapidly running out of clean clothes to wear. It was at this point that, after a few days of choking down take-out, he learned the basics of cooking. Sasuke also learned that dumping an entire bucket of Tide into the washing machine will only create a further mess and the infernal machine had _settings_. He learned the difference between whites and colors and that bleach was only to be used on the former.

Many ninja would quietly snicker if they saw him in front of the stove, stirring soup without a frilly apron. But then again, they would also have to explain to one of the most powerful ninjas in the village what they were doing in his house.

He put the chicken noodle soup on a tray with a few crackers, and a mug of tea near that. Top it off with chopsticks and a napkin and you have the perfect meal for a sick day.

The dark haired boy had one foot on the stairs when there was a raucous knocking at his door. He put the tray down on a table near the entrance and opened the front door to a nervous looking Chuunin. She had been biting her lip, but the second she saw him her mouth dropped and her entire face colored. They were like that for several moments before he decided to break the silence.

"Do you need something?" Okay, so it could have sounded a bit more polite if he hadn't been gritting his teeth. Sasuke concurred with Shikamaru. Women were _troublesome_.

She seemed snapped out of her daze. "T-This is for S-Sakura-san." And she handed him a scroll.

He took it, ignored her date offer, and shut the door in her face. Did he feel bad? Not really, no. Would he have done that to Sakura? Hell no. He wasn't that stupid.

He put it on the tray and walked into his room. The pink haired woman was leaning against the headboard, looking kind of pissed since she couldn't get out of bed until she got permission. What a load of bull. Sasuke handed her the scroll before putting the tray of food, he could almost swear she was drooling at that point, on his nightstand.

In his peripheral vision, he noticed she was squirming and he rolled his eyes. "You can get up now." And with that, Sakura jumped out of bed and shot into the bathroom.

Unfortunately for her, she had left her mail wide open.

_Sakura,_

_I'm sending this by the Sand's messenger bird, so I can't reveal anything should this be intercepted. Some things have come up and Naruto and I are coming home immediately (I trust that Sasuke got to you all right?). I need you, in the meantime, to prepare for an important S-ranked solo mission. You will leave right after I give you the mission details. _

_I also exempt you from work until I return. Save your energy, I can't say much, but I can tell you that you're going to need it. _

_Tsunade_

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **I hope this chapter was up to everyone's expectations. Sorry it took so long. And Ha! All of you were expecting Sasuke to save her! No, no my friend! I started to miss Kakashi so I threw him in there as a little twist. And yes, poor Sakura needs to re-evaluate her wardrobe. By the way, I know the plot is sort of floating along right now, but it will get more interesting!

This other note is extremely **IMPORTANT**. Due to Band Camp (dun, dun, dunnnnnn) I will be unable to update for quite a while, so I don't want to see any tantrums in the reviews. You have been warned people, so chill and I'll have an update as soon as I can.


	9. Heigh Ho

**Author's Notes: **Again, sorry for the wait. I know it sucked. And **blackrose**, the answer is that the quote "at least out loud I won't say I'm  
in love" is sung by Meg in the movie Hercules in the song I Won't Say (I'm In Love). And no, I didn't Google it. I happen to have it on my iPod, in fact, and I was planning to use it for a later chapter title. =D I just finished reading all of my reviews and I feel terrible for making you wait this long! Argh! So without further ado, the long awaited chapter nine.

This chapter is dedicated to **Becoming**, who peer-pressured me into writing again and kept asking me when this particular chapter was coming out. My readers should be thanking her too, she's the reason I'm updating on Tuesday instead of Thursday like I had planned. She's an amazing writer, so this chapter goes out to her.

**Title Reference for Chapter Nine: **"Heigh-Ho" from _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 9: Heigh-Ho

**.**

**.**

After three days, Sakura finally was well enough to go. She knew that Sasuke had seen the letter from Tsunade, but she didn't really care. There was no way that he could keep her from going on this mission. Besides, she was getting an awful case of cabin fever and needed to get out of the city. Ninjas just weren't built for staying stationary for weeks at a time.

She grabbed her bag and filled it with the necessities. Two changes of clothes, pajamas, toothbrush, hairbrush, scrolls, kunai, and medicinal supplies. Sighing, she also begrudgingly put in a strawberry blonde wig. Over the years, she had made as many enemies as allies, and Tsunade had begun to make her carry the wig anywhere out of Konoha, especially on missions such as these. If nothing else, it would buy her enough time to flee if needed. Thankfully, she'd never needed to use it. Ino had picked out the strawberry blonde color because it was the closest natural color to her eyebrows. Can't exactly dye those now can we?

She bid a goodbye to Sasuke, who was in the kitchen reading over his own mission summons. Even though he was an egotistical jerk sometimes, one still had to feel sorry for the ANBU. Tsunade kept all of her black-ops on frequent missions. Sometimes, Sakura thought, the Godaime Hokage abused her power just a tiny bit.

Sakura was waiting for a grand total of five minutes inside her second mentor's office when the blonde came in looking none too refined. It was one of those, "I just spent days in the forest with an annoying loud-mouthed blonde, can you tell?" kind of looks. She mumbled something that Sakura didn't quite catch before sitting down behind her desk and pulling out a file.

"Sakura, I hate to tell you this, but I'm giving you two possibly challenging missions compiled into one." She opened the manila folder and pulled out a picture. "This is the man that is responsible for the drug trafficking and illegal slave trade on Seaweed Island. Basically, he's the head-honcho of anything and everything that goes on there. Your mission is to gather information about him and his organization and to bring that information back to me. A name, trade information, affiliates, anything even if you think it isn't important. He's surrounded by missing-nin twenty four-seven, so be careful." Tsunade handed the folder to Sakura. "To gather this information, you need to go undercover and get close to him. There is an envelope in the folder with some money in it for…clothes. And speaking of, don't forget to take off your forehead protector. You can leave it with me if you like."

"Tsunade-sama, won't getting close to him be a little hard with this thing?" She pointed to the necklace.

"No. I'm specifically assigning you this mission because your connection with Sasuke will protect you if the man tries to take advantage of you. You know the rules of the necklace, so avoid making it known to your target. Once you collect all the information that you feel there is, contact Konoha spies and they will assist your aid in capturing him." She bit her lip and let out a heavy exhale. "The second portion of the mission is going to increase the difficulty ten-fold, although it is necessary." Tsunade looked her dead in the eye. "The spies I am sending are male, which is my main source of concern since the women on the island are infamous for their use of pheromones. It is possible they will become sidetracked from their mission. I need you to check in on them to make sure that they haven't been deterred."

"Who are they?"

The Hokage gave a nervous laugh. "Funny you should mention that. You…know them."

"…and?"

"Well, you know them pretty well I'd say."

Sakura blinked. "…_and_?"

"They're…Sasuke, Neji, Naruto, and Shikamaru." She blurted.

So four of them, a basic platoon, and….wait a minute…

"You're sending Sasuke?"

"Of course I'm sending Sasuke! He's a good ninja and he's got the looks to seduce your target's top women into giving him information."

"And why Naruto?"

"He's got the firepower to get them out of any sticky situation. The Kyuubi will affect his decision making due to his increased senses of smell, making the pheromones seem more powerful, which is why I need you to monitor him, although Naruto has the will-power to knock Kyuubi to the ground."

So basically, Sakura figured, she was going to be half ninja, half babysitter. Wonderful. Although a definite perk was going to be literally knocking some sense back into the guys until they saw stars. She'd just have to remember what that scroll said about Sasuke so she wouldn't be the one getting hurt.

"I suggest you leave, it's going to be a long ways to the Seaweed Island. Ah! Another important detail I forgot to include is that you are not allowed to be seen by any of the four spies. I shudder to think of all the ways Sasuke, or even Naruto, could botch the mission by finding out that one: you're even on the island in the first place and two: that your mission is to seduce a crime lord. In that respect, I want you to take the long way around and come in through the back of the island. You'll go about ten miles south before heading to the coast where I've arranged a ship to drop you off at the island. The other four will be taking the scenic route. Now…dismissed!"

The pink haired nin left, after giving her mentor her forehead protector, and Tsunade only had time to prepare the paperwork for the next set of missions before there was a knock at the door. The four boys came in and stood stoically in front off her desk, except for Naruto, who was grinning for whatever reason.

"Boys, I have an important, S-raked mission for you. You four will be traveling in a group down to Seaweed Island to collect information about the crime organization running the illegal trade. Be warned though, you will have to gather this information by whatever means necessary, which will probably entail seducing women who are close to high-ranked people in the syndicate." None of the four looked particularly happy about this fact. They all had their own girlfriends, minus Sasuke—but he was a different story—and would most likely feel like they were cheating on them. They had no choice though, such was the life of a ninja. "If all goes well, you will be contacted about when to take down the crime lord and disassemble the syndicate. These are dangerous bunch, so be careful. Sasuke, you have the most experience on the island and how it works, so I'm appointing you team leader. Any questions?" When there were none, she announced, "Dismissed!"

**.**

**.**

Sakura's journey thus far had been more than eventful. The southern parts of the fire country were mostly farmland and a few sparsely placed towns. The temperature grew warmer as she headed towards the coast, which was a nice reprieve from the mid-autumn chill that had accumulated in her hometown.

At first, the road South had been nice. There was a clear road leading in her direction, and the air was calm. As it got warmer though, Sakura discovered just why the inhabitants of these parts were few and far between.

Mosquitoes.

Dozens of them, everywhere. Screw the fact that it was nearing October, these little buggers let everyone know that they were hungry. The worst part was, you couldn't even feel them until you looked down and saw them swelled with blood. Smacking them only made it ten times worse, smearing their innards and their last lunch on your leg or arm or neck or face and your hand. Eventually, Sakura decided to just go as fast as she could and hope that the small parasites couldn't fly faster.

Finding a place to catch her breath, she stopped in a small town called Igbokwe—population 240—that was located ten or so miles from the coast. She went in the nearest restaurant, which was inside thank goodness, and put her head down on the nearest table. After seeing her bedraggled condition, the poor waitress pitied her and gave her mosquito repellant and some sort of salve. She wasn't exactly sure what was good, so she just asked the waitress for a glass of water and whatever she recommended. Five minutes later, there was a glass of water to her left and a stack of pancakes with a face staring her down.

"We put a face on our famous pumpkin pancakes just for you, sweetie."

Well that was all fine and dandy, they were good anyway. There was a syrup on top of it that tasted like some sort of glaze, whipped cream making up the mouth and eyes, and a split cherry making up the eyeballs. It was definitely a horse of a different color, but by that time Sakura would have eaten a live cougar she was so hungry.

When she paid the bill, Sakura walked down the street to the exit having put on some mosquito repellant beforehand. Just when it seemed like she would make it out of this town unscathed, a man in a shimmering black tuxedo walked past her. The tranquil calm returned before a scream echoed behind her.

She whipped around like her instincts had taught her to do and glimpsed the shimmering man standing awkwardly in front of a jewelry store. His arms were full, and Sakura saw a pearl necklace draped over one arm. Standing there for a minute as if he hadn't expected anyone to scream, he suddenly bolted in the opposite direction away from the medic.

Taking out a kunai and aiming for his leg, Sakura let her weapon fly out of her hands. It sailed through the air quite nicely, however the fatigue from earlier in the day must have made her aiming off. She missed her target completely, and the knife landed in front of the robber quite a ways. Preparing to run and catch him, she abruptly halted when she saw that he had tripped over her kunai and was now face down in the dirt. Thrown off balance, Sakura nearly did the same—waving her arms everywhere trying to keep her balance—but she managed to catch her balance at the last second. Thankfully, the townspeople were so fascinated by the man in the shining black tux that they missed her performance completely.

Before she had a chance to react, she was suddenly surrounded by grateful villagers. Sakura blinked, used to the attention from thankful civilians, but was sadly out of practice. She signed autographs while people fiddled with her hair, wondering if she had dyed it or if divine beings naturally wore their hair this shade. When asked her name, they nodded at the fittingness of it and hustled her into the nearest dining place, which happened to be the place she just left. Telling them she really had to get going, they loaded her down with food and a small blanket and a rather nice knife with the hilt and sheath wrapped in dark green silk. The local blacksmith told her that "they'd give her a better one later", but that was hardly possible.

In the rush, Sakura realized that no one had remembered to arrest the robber.

Slightly put-down because of this, she tried not to let it show on her face. Apparently, the robber had dropped whatever he had stolen and had ran away just to get away from her. Which was fine, the day was saved, and all was well again in the small town of Igbokwe, population 240.

When the villagers finally let her leave in peace, Sakura realized she was about forty-five minutes behind. She sighed and increased her speed to make it to the boat in time. Thankfully, running from the mosquitoes had given her a head start.

Sakura stopped to catch her breath in the seaport after an hour's journey. She walked steadily to the name of the ship that Tsunade had assigned her. When she found it, it was no more than a fishing boat. The man welcomed her aboard, though his subordinates looked none too happy to have her there. He escorted her below deck to a small hold where she would be kept out from under foot for the duration of the trip.

"I hope you don't mind," he said. "But someone else is making a similar journey as yours. We'll drop him off much sooner, however, so please excuse the small detour."

"No problem."

Although Sakura soon discovered that it _was_ a problem. The captain opened the door to the room and, lo and behold, sitting on a chair close to the window was the man in the shimmering black tuxedo.

His eyes opened wide when he saw her, but quickly snapped into a vicious glare. Sakura, attempting not to look intimidated (which, of course, she wasn't) leveled his stare and gave him her best "I'm your superior" look. He was first to break the gaze once the door was shut once more, and he looked back out onto the harbor.

The silence in the room was tense, right up until he made his exit. Technically, there was nothing she could do to him now. Nothing had been stolen, and he had run away before local authorities could arrest him. Basically, he was just another cowardly petty thief.

When he left, the captain delivered her an apple and a half loaf of bread to eat for the remainder of the trip, because it would be at least another six to eight hours. Mist was still hostile territory, so they had to use the utmost caution when crossing into their waters. Sakura thanked the man for the food, although it was the last thing she needed since the villagers had taken it upon themselves to make her backpack ten pounds heavier.

They were two hours from reaching their destination when several shouts interrupted Sakura from a current daydream. She rolled her eyes and thought "This again?" before dashing on deck. The water on her feet slipped her up on the last step and she grabbed the railing on the side of the ship, forcing her eyes downward.

Sharks.

Could this day get any worse?

Well when you say those six taboo words, one's day happens to get worse exponentially. See, there wasn't one shark, that would be far too easy for this circumstance. There were three. Circling the boat looking for their next meal a.k.a. the sailors on board plus one ninja.

One jumped out of the water giving them a good idea of how big these things were. They had to be at least forty or so feet, with teeth that gleamed in the late afternoon sun. They were very dominant in the water, their size and stature spoke of them as holding a position of power under the waves, similar to the lion being "king of the jungle".

To put it in layman's terms, these were the kind of sharks that would make anything out of _Jaws_ look like itty-bitty goldfish.

The boat tipped dangerously as the first one landed near the front of the vessel. At first, Sakura stood shocked like everyone else on board. That was soon replaced with the feeling of duty once the large tail thrashed around on deck. Sakura grabbed a kunai out of her pouch, and managed to send a large gash down its left side. This only served to get the animal extremely ticked off, and it began to snap its jaws together.

Slightly panicked, Sakura searched the deck for a more efficient weapon to use. She gulped loudly as a bead of sweat fell into her eye. There was no way she could die on a boat…by a shark no less! She'd never even gotten to maul Sasuke for what he had done!

To her right, the crowd of people parted, and she saw it. A harpoon. It was perfect.

Quickly, she hurried over to it, avoiding the flying people and water on the floor. It was rusty from not being used too often and she had to yank it out, tugging on the chain that connected it to the ship's hull. She dragged it over to the offending creature, sneaking up from behind it, jumping over the tail several times before she managed to gain a footing on its back by digging her sandals into it.

She sat down on what she supposed was its neck, and the beast turned its head around and gashed her leg with its teeth. She lifted the harpoon over her head, and plunged it through the shark's skull, blood and guts spattering everywhere.

**.**

**.**

Sasuke shook his head rapidly, trying to dispel the headache he was getting. It was swiftly turning into an acute migraine, which meant that there was something in the salty sea air that was affecting his senses or Sakura was getting herself in some serious trouble. He tried not to think the latter, but it was hard to completely ignore the idea. Sometimes, the pink haired nin could be the epitome of Murphy's Law: if anything can go wrong, it will.

"We're about five minutes away from the coast." Neji announced.

Sasuke looked around and recognized the spot. The last time he was here, there had been some sharks. Thankfully, they seemed to have recently eaten, for they did not attack his boat. It was nearing winter though, so they probably headed south into warmer waters. He just pitied the poor sucker that had to fend them off.

They arrived in a remote location far away from the city. It was bordering a forest and the place least likely to contain security. They secured the boat inland a good ways before grabbing their stuff out of it. Before they could find a place to stay tonight, they needed to get some work done. Which meant going around to various places and turning on their masculine charm.

Sasuke thought he was going to be sick.

**.**

**.**

There was only a moment of relief for Sakura. When the animal stilled, she let out a calm, albeit shaky, breath. That was soon replaced by the feeling of adrenaline coursing through her when the two remaining sharks tipped the boat.

She tried to gain balance by digging her nails into the shark's dorsal fin, but the seawater had made it far too slippery to hold on to. The boat rocked, sending the nose of the ship plunging forward. Sakura pulled out a knife and dug it into the ship, but that only succeeded in putting a large gash on the deck of the fishing boat. After she was hurtled over the side, Sakura kind of blacked out, still conscious, but not mentally there. Not even breathing.

Her stupor faded when the icy blackness consumed her.

All the shouts were gone.

All color was gone.

All light was gone.

There was nothing. An abyss.

An abyss that contained nothing but the inky black water and Sakura.

And two very, very large sharks.

The last thought gave her brain the jump start back into reality. She still gripped the kunai in a white knuckled grip, although that would do her little good against two thirty foot long sharks. She had to think of something, and the blood escaping from her leg was on her mind. The fact that the salt water getting in her wound was making the gash sting wasn't helping either.

She felt around with her chakra. Nothing…nothing…There! They were on opposite sides of her, closing in fast. They were going to catch up to her in a matter of mere seconds and run into each other if she didn't…

Wait a minute…now there was an idea…

Using whatever strength she still possessed, Sakura swam to where she assumed was the surface. She hoped that they weren't smart enough to know her little plan, but she had to do something or risk being eaten or crushed.

From below, she heard the crunching of cartilage as they crashed into each other blindly.

Not wasting a second of time, Sakura kept swimming to the surface, breaking through with a desperate gasp for air. She grabbed onto a rope they had thrown down for her and let herself be pulled up. Her arms and legs ached like she had just finished an all-day sparring session with Lee. Hands pulled her up to the deck where she coughed water out of her lungs. She shuddered at the sudden chill and was offered a blanket by the grateful sailors. It seemed she was a hero wherever she went today.

She changed into dry clothes and healed her leg nicely. The sailors had decided to keep the shark on board so that they could fry the meat and eat it. Sakura never thought there was anything so tasty at the moment. _Take that, you dumb shark_, She thought bitterly.

The two hours remaining on what was fast becoming the worst experience of her life passed quickly. They docked in the harbor, and Sakura quietly slunk off the ship while the captain was negotiating prices for his latest catch. She stole down the docks and into the city to look for a place to rest and shower before she had to begin her mission in the morning. She was covered in shark blood and seawater. The only person she'd be able to seduce in this state would be living in the streets, if that.

She chose the nearest inn, the Enchanted Oak, and went up to the desk where a rather voluptuous gentleman blinked at her.

"I'd like a room for one, please."

The man raised a brow. "You're all by yourself?"

Okay, so women probably didn't check into these kinds of places by themselves in this country. Keeping her character, Sakura told him in a sultry voice, "Give it time." And then she winked at him.

The man smirked, and his looked rather terrible compared to Sasuke's, and gave her a room key. She had just rounded the corner when she heard the front door open and an all too familiar voice say, "Two rooms."

Biting her lip and lowering her chakra, Sakura peeked around the corner to see her comrades at the front desk. Thankfully, none of them noticed her, so she quietly made her way to her room before locking the door and throwing the bolt. She would just have to make sure that Neji wouldn't be inclined to use the Byakugan on her. She'd really be out of luck then.

Sakura shed her clothes and stepped in the shower, probably spending a good half hour scrubbing the grime off of her and out of her hair. Afterwards, she put on the pajamas she had brought before climbing into bed and setting the alarm for four-thirty AM. She'd have to get a good head start if she didn't want to be seen by the guys.

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **And onward the story goes, where it stops…is for me to know and you to find out. I was figuring out the chapter title (which if you don't get it, listen to the remainder of the verse) and I remembered something I heard on the radio a few weeks ago. Did you know that Santa in Australia is no longer allowed to say "Ho, Ho, Ho"? Apparently, it's offensive to some, which I think is bull. Santa has always said "Ho, Ho, Ho". If he said "Rake, rake, rake" or something similar, I think it would be different, but honestly, "Ho, Ho, Ho"? If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Speaking of the chapter title, it completely breaks the "I before E" rule. Like that Brian Regan skit: "No, Brian. It's I before E except after C and when sounding like a as in neighbor and weigh, and on weekends and holidays and all throughout May, and you'll always be wrong no matter what you say!" I recommend you go listen to it, he's hilarious. Although I figure breaking the rule isn't too bad, Einstein would have gotten it wrong _twice_ in his name.

As always, comments and criticisms are welcome. I love to know what my readers think.


	10. The World's Greatest Criminal Mind

**Author's Notes: **Ahh! I'm on double digits already! Can you believe it? Chapter 10! Anyway, as always, thank you for being patient. I don't have anything else particularly interesting to say, so I'll just begin the chapter.

**Title Reference for Chapter Ten: **"The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" from _The Great Mouse Detective_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 10: The World's Greatest Criminal Mind

**.**

**.**

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Oh how she hated—

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

—that alarm clock.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Grudgingly, Sakura got out of bed and switched off the alarm, rubbing her eyes to get them into focus. She went to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face and take another shower to further get the smell of shark innards off of her. She winced as the water came out a cloudy white, and stayed in the bathroom only as long as was required.

The rooms here were hideous, the bathrooms unclean, and she would have downright left if she hadn't already paid.

Since she knew the guys were here, the medic grudgingly pinned up her hair and secured the strawberry blonde wig on her head with bobby pins. It would do her no good if she were to be caught on the first official day of her mission!

Leaving everything in her room except for the money Tsunade-sama had given her, Sakura wrapped a dark gray cloak around herself and left the inn. She pulled up the hood as an extra precaution as she looked down the streets.

Priorities: Get a feel for the place and buy clothes for the mission.

She sighed, wishing Ino was with her. The blonde was a lot better at hooker shopping.

The streets were eerily calm at this time of morning. The only sounds came from animals in the alleyways—cats, dogs, mice—and even those sounds were mangled. This island was already beginning to creep her out. Even the paranoia was unbearable. She had started out walking in the middle of the street, but the hairs standing up on the back of her neck frequently forced her into shadows. It felt like someone was watching her. Always.

First task was to find out where the boss-man was located. Most likely in the center of the city, where attackers would have to go through several lines of defense. Sakura changed her path abruptly, darting through several alleyways. The nearer she got to the center of the island, the louder the noise got. The nightlife was crowded around the outskirts of the center. It was like one big party here, all the time.

Getting her first view of the nightlife of these people, and deciding she didn't like it one bit, she took to the roofs, keeping herself as low as possible. It was much easier to see this way, and a lot easier to avoid unwanted persons. She managed to spot a rather large mansion surrounded by a thick wall. Lying down on the roof she was on, she peered over the peak to count the number of guards.

Four at the main entrance, and no less than ten patrolling the wall itself.

She smirked. Surely this had to be headquarters for someone very, _very_ important.

Now she just had to get inside.

**.**

**.**

So it turned out that buying hooker clothes was relatively simple. All she had to do was pick out clothes that she wouldn't normally touch with a ten-foot pole. Sequins, leather, and lots of shimmering, glittering fabric seemed to be popular. Top that off with shimmering, glittering, bold makeup, outrageous jewelry, and contacts the color of Naruto' s eyes and she had herself a hooker wardrobe.

She returned to the inn at around eight thirty, where a little sleuthing work told her that the four Konoha spies had already left. She dumped all of her newly acquired makeup on the bathroom counter to survey it. She painted her nails dark red and waved her hands around like an idiot so they'd dry quicker. Next, she applied dark mascara and put on a heavy layer of green eye shadow with red lipstick. She put some large hoops in her ears and went to the bedroom. Sakura's attire consisted of a green, spaghetti strap sequined top, black leather shorts and her normal black boots.

The now strawberry blonde woman walked down to the main desk and paid for another nights stay, because she'd need a place to store her ninja equipment until she managed to infiltrate the compound. She had a plan, and it would make life so much simpler if it worked.

Since by this time it was broad daylight, she took to walking in the busy streets. Her eyes surveyed the area as she walked towards the compound. Sakura was tempted to tug her shorts down innumerable times on the way there by all the stares she was getting. She considered it a good thing though, maybe the boss would notice her too. The strangest thing about this outfit was that she fit in with the rest of the women walking about.

When the mansion was in sight, she slipped into an alleyway. In order for her plan to work, she needed to look somewhat hurt. She held her hand up, hesitating for a moment, before slapping herself hard across the cheek. Okay, so maybe she hadn't needed to hit herself that hard…She winced when a breeze rushed past her making her cheek sting and sucked in her breath. Well, there was no going back now. Besides, it put a few tears in her eyes and that would only enhance her plan.

She walked, more like swaggered, up to the palace gates. The four men on patrol looked at her with wary glances.

"Can one of you please help me?" The medic asked as she sniffled.

"Um…" The guards looked at each other, not quite sure what to do.

"Oh please help me! I'm stuck on this island and I don't have any money!"

"Well we could probably put you on a boat back to the mainland…" The brown headed one on the left spoke.

"You don't understand!" Sakura wailed. "I ran away with my boyfriend, my village probably considers me an enemy now. And then he goes away and leaves me for that…that _slut_!" By this time, she had gotten quite a few tears to spill over her cheeks. And the guards in front of her were now alert and panicked.

"Miss…"

"Do you see what he _did_ to me?" She pointed at her stinging cheek. "And then he runs off with all of my money!" She sobbed again. "I have no where to stay, no where to go." She hugged herself and twisted her facial expression into the most pitiful one she could manage. Picking out who was probably the most gullible of the four, a honey blonde who looked no more than twenty, Sakura stared at him. "_Please_ help me?"

She could see the blonde's Adam's apple bob down as he swallowed heavily. "Guys, don't you think we should do something…?"

One closest to the middle analyzed her with steely eyes. "How do we know she's not lying?"

"Look at her face man! That's one _hell_ of a bruise!"

"You know what it's like for women around here…"

"Fine." The same man turned to her again. "Someone go take her to see Cain. See what he wants to do with her."

In the midst of Sakura's "thank you"s and bows, the boy with the honey blond hair stepped forward. "If you'll come with me?"

Keeping in character, Sakura latched onto the arm he held out for her as he guided her into the large house. She looked around at the surprisingly lavish surroundings, since the rest of the city seemed to be mostly trash, and caught a glimpse of the man's forehead-protector with a slash through it.

"You're from Rock?"

He jumped a little. "Yes."

"Is it nice there? I've never been."

It was now that she had miscalculated him being a naïve boy. He looked at her with suspicious eyes. "Is that so? Because as I recall, the only place that you can get red diamonds is in the Country of Earth."

Slightly shocked by his answer, Sakura held her necklace in her unoccupied hand, trying to keep her expression from conveying emotion. Except for maybe nostalgia. "Oh this? My brother got it for me when he was there for a mission. He was almost going to be promoted before he…died…" She felt tears prick the back of her eyes as she played along.

Although, it sounded strange she called Sasuke her _brother_. Sasuke and Naruto were brothers. Naruto was Sakura's brother. But the pink haired medic was still unclear of the relationship between her and Sasuke.

"I see. I'm sorry for your loss, then." He had switched back to naïve, thank goodness.

"No big deal, my brother was a good ninja. He died an honorable death." A pause followed her statement.

Okay, awkward silence much…

They had reached two large doors, intricately carved with mythical creatures. Two guards stood on either side of the doors, and Sakura's escort nodded at them. The guards frowned at Sakura a moment before opening the doors.

The arm Sakura was clinging to disappeared, and guided her by the small of her back into a large, throne-line room at her hesitance. Sakura bit her lip as the first few rushes of nerves came to her. Her plan was working so far, too bad she couldn't revel in the victory.

A man seated behind a rosewood desk at the far wall of the room looked up as the door opened. He was a little overweight, and his features weren't exactly par with a certain Uchiha's, but he wasn't terrible looking. He eyed Sakura before turning to the guard. "State your business."

"This woman came to us at the gate. She has nowhere to go and no money. We wanted to ask your judgment on the matter, sir."

"Why not send her back to her village?"

With a soft voice and her head pointed down, Sakura replied, "I ran away, sir."

"I see." He stood up and walked until he was only a foot in front of her. He lifted her chin and surveyed her face. "What is your name?"

"Sakura, sir."

"Well I think we could let you stay here." Sakura's eyes turned hopeful. "But you'll have to earn it. You'll have to work as a maid or something."

"Thank you sir!"

His smile brightened and he took one of her hands in his. "Well then, Sakura, it is a pleasure to have you." He put his lips to the back of her hand before a shock went through both of them. Cain recoiled, but then gave her a sly glance. "Firecracker aren't you? Amaya!"

A woman came into the room dressed in a maid's uniform. "Yes, sir?"

"This woman is now under my employment. Show her the ropes, won't you? And blondie, get back to your post."

Sakura followed the maid down a corridor. That man, Cain, was the guy she was looking for. He still bothered her though, despite the sweet voice and gentle mannerisms. The guy was running a huge scale crime ring and all he could do was talk her up! What a lady-killer…

**.**

**.**

Five miles away, Sasuke felt something flash across his mind. He put a hand to his head before sighing heavily. Sakura was getting herself into trouble again. Although the warnings didn't tell him exactly what she was doing, they only told him that it went against any rule of his ownership of her. A flicker, hard to describe, would ignite itself in his mind. It got more intense the more trouble she was in and the closer she was.

But that was just the thing. Sakura was on a mission of her own, probably far, far away. Unless she was dying, his messages shouldn't be this strong.

Sasuke shook his head. She wasn't dying. Haruno Sakura was stronger than that.

Still…

Something wasn't right here, and he had to finish this stupid mission before he got down to the bottom of it.

How he _hated_ this island.

**.**

**.**

Sakura was starting to fall into the daily routine around here, which was phenomenally simple and excruciatingly boring. She supposed that this was what it was like to have a normal job. Day in and day out. Periodic excitement came from the kitchens when the stove caught on fire…again, or gossiping to the other maids about which guard/henchmen/overlord's guest was the hottest.

Trying to get information on the crime lord was about as easy as bringing someone back to life. The entire place was sterile—in the figurative and literal sense, there was not one speck of dust that did not attract the maid's attention—and looking for information was especially difficult with the head maid lurking around.

The Head Maid was not a little old decrepit, wrinkly lady as Sakura had been led to believe. In fact, she looked to only be about twenty-eight. Her mood ranged from annoyed to severe PMS, and that was on her better days. Sakura had been reprimanded several times for walking with bad posture and not getting the whites white enough. The pink haired medic had never had a strong desire to kill, but this lady was fast approaching the top of her hit list if she ever did go serial killer.

It was Saturday. A week after she had begun to work here and so far she had gleaned nil. He was an evil overlord who traded drugs and prostitutes. That was it.

The maids were divided into sections, which determined where they would work that day. It all depended on the schedule that the Head Maid—so lovingly dubbed Majo, translating into "witch"—laid out for them. Thankfully though, Saturdays were Sakura's section's day to go into town. It was their day off. The entire day, and Sakura had never felt so grateful.

Sakura talked to a new found friend on the way there. She'd instantly taken a liking to Miki, who was a native of Amegakure. She was taking her genin exam when Orochimaru and Sasori attacked her village, for whatever reason, and she fled. She wound up on a boat and the rest is history.

"Oh my goodness." A blonde, Emi, swooned a little. "If I could have one of those hunks _look _at me, I'd die a happy woman." The excited murmurs suggested that they agreed with her to the point of calling dibs.

"Sure they're really cute, but they're kind of odd." Miki said to Sakura as the woman examined a few scarves. "I mean, I've never seen someone who has eyes like that before, not to mention the other guy's hair kind of looks like the tail end of a bird."

The _click _as the descriptions slid home was nearly audible. The medic swiveled her head and stared wide eyed at the women's two points of interest. Unconsciously, she snuck behind the group of women.

Why, oh, why did Sasuke and Naruto have to be here _now_? Especially those two. Her teammates could pick her out of a crowd without any effort…when her back was turned…while wearing a wig. She gulped.

They were stopped near a booth, she could recognize what it was exactly, and Naruto was grinning at Sasuke who said a few words back.

"Hey Sakura…are you okay?"

Her heart was thudding loudly at the thought of jeopardizing the mission. Not only would Tsunade reprimand her for her lack of stealth that she had spent hours teaching her youngest apprentice, but the dark haired Uchiha who owned her body and mind wouldn't be happy either, especially once he learned what her mission _was_.

"Earth to Sakura…come in Sakura…"

An unexplained tingling went throughout her body. Kind of soothing, as if it knew she was anxious and was trying to calm her down. Sakura clutched the heart-shaped pendant in her hand, which stopped the tingling, but it brought about something even more unfavorable.

She watched from behind the girls as Sasuke's body _froze_. His head snapped up and he surveyed the crowd, with his eyes starting to bleed red. Trying to find her. He hissed a few words to Naruto, who also began scanning the crowd.

"That's my boyfriend!" Sakura forced out. "The dark haired one!"

"No way!"

"You mean the one that abandoned you?"

"Did he hit you? Oh my gosh, he _did_, didn't he!?"

"Looks really are deceiving!"

"Go give him a piece of your mind!"

"I can't!" Sakura said. "If he knows that I'm here…he'll hurt me again…" She faked a few tears for good measure.

Emi growled, "How dare he!" And she did a 180 before marching over to the two boys. They looked startled at first that a headstrong woman was approaching them with her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. Sakura saw her two teammates cast glances at each other. Unfortunately, that was about the time when Emi approached.

"You jerk!" And then one Uchiha Sasuke, genius extraordinaire, was slapped.

With no further explanation, Emi walked back to the group. They shielded Sakura from _his_ view before walking to a different street.

**.**

**.**

Giggling girls.

It was a phrase that neither Sasuke nor Naruto wanted to be subjected to. Ever. Again. The morning had started out badly enough, with the waitress serving them breakfast "accidentally" gave them a good view of her backside. Several times. From there, the four had split into two teams to cover more ground. Sasuke was with Naruto, Hyuuga with Shikamaru.

The brothels seemed like the easiest to get information from, but they began at the bars for comfort reasons. Thankfully they were mostly empty except for the patrons clearing out from the night before and the staff.

A woman was behind the bar when they walked in. "We're clos…" And when she actually looked at them, the rest of her breath came out with a _whoosh_.

Sometimes, Sasuke loved having that effect.

By noon, they had gathered a few tidbits of information, but nothing too startling. A check in with their other two comrades revealed the same thing. No one knew anything significant about the crime lord. No one.

It was nearing noon when they stopped for a breather. The shade felt nice as the tropical sun was nearing its peak. A group of giggling girls stood at another corner of the street, and both boys mentally shuddered. They'd eaten a small bit of lunch already, so they were about to start again when Sasuke noticed what stall they were standing beside. Jewelry. Oh, great.

"Hey Sasuke." Naruto grinned. "I bet Sakura would really love a little souvenir." He waggled his eyes.

"Dobe, the last thing she probably wants from me is _jewelry_." He smirked. "But I'm sure Hinata would appreciate it."

Rolling his eyes as the blonde flushed a little, he was reaching to inspect something when every one of his muscles locked up. He was overwhelmed with her presence. Her could hear her thrumming heartbeat and feel her shaky nerves, even as their bond tried to calm her down.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, the smile disappearing completely.

Said boy hissed out, "Sakura's _here_." Or she was dying, but he'd rather not even consider it. She must have grabbed the necklace. The man who he'd bought her from told him that the bond was stronger when the pendant was touching skin. Sasuke now knew what he meant.

Sasuke's Sharingan leaked through a little, enough to thoroughly scan the crowd. He felt Naruto do the same. If anyone could find her, it would be the two boys who knew her like the back of their hands. She couldn't hide for long.

Suddenly, their attention was taken off Sakura as they saw a blonde female walking towards them with murderous intent. She reached them quickly and swung her hand back.

"You jerk!"

And she'd left the Uchiha blinking in the middle of the street. The handprint stung a little, but didn't really hurt. Once it got through his brain that he'd been slapped—he! Uchiha Sasuke!—by a woman, he let out an audible growl. He glared down the street where her posse had disappeared once he realized that his loss of focus had made him lose the grip on Sakura as well.

Later, a Byakugan search would confirm that Haruno Sakura was nowhere to be found on the island, which prompted Shikamaru to remark that maybe Sakura should be here after all, to make sure the Uchiha's head was screwed on right.

**.**

**.**

"Sakura." Majo hissed. "You're late."

_By less than four seconds!_ Sakura thought while her inner self had a few choice words to say about the boss-lady.

"Take that to Sir Cain." She pointed at a tray of covered dishes, presumably breakfast.

**Remind me to bow before the humble servant of the Queen of England. **Inner Sakura gritted.

Sakura pulled her dress down before picking up the tray easily. All that strength training had come in handy. Now just to remember where that room was located in this large estate.

The dresses they got in this place weren't as bad as she first thought. They were plain, collared black dresses with a white apron tied around her waist. No lace, no tulle, no feather duster. The fact that they were long enough to reach mid thigh was slightly admirable from a man who ran a prostitute ring.

After a few minutes of searching, Sakura finally located the two large doors that led to the large room where Cain's desk sat. She looked at the guards, hoping to get the point across to open the doors for her. The maid's hands were quite loaded at the moment. She didn't have to wait long, however, until one of the guards spoke up.

"Cain is on the phone and does not wish to be interrupted."

Sakura shrugged. "I'll wait." After all, the longer she took here the less she had to be around Majo.

She set the tray down on an end table and then took up residence in one of the comfy leather armchairs. She could pick up a few words of Cain's conversation, having her hearing honed to a tee. He didn't sound happy at all.

"I told you…shipment of "the goods"…next week! …Not a patient person!"

Sakura's ears perked. Finally, maybe some information!

"…Unacceptable! Konoha is too close…I need that shipment NOW Nakamura!" And the rest of his words were so loud, she could hear every word. "Don't you dare underestimate me Goumon! I won't hesitate to send my best to Mist and annihilate you!"

Nakamura Goumon. Finally a name.

"Tomorrow afternoon. The normal dock…yes."

The receiver was then pounded down so hard on the phone cradle that it was heard even outside the supposed-to-be-soundproof doors. A small click was heard—Sakura never quite figured out what it was, maybe the door unlocking?—and the guards looked at her again.

"You may go in now."

Which was of course her cue to heft the tray back in her arms as they opened the door for her.

Cain was sitting calmly behind his desk like nothing particularly interesting had occurred. He looked at her when she came in and gave her a cocky smile. "Ah, breakfast."

"Sorry I'm late, sir."

He waved it off and allowed the tray to be set before him. "Not a problem, but I must insist that you join me."

Sakura flushed. "I couldn't possibly…I mean…"

"Nonsense. I'll just tell what's-her-face you were with me."

"But sir—"

"_Join me_." He said in a manner that suggested he wasn't denied very many things. Sakura was about to refuse again when she was roughly pulled into his lap. She gulped and discreetly checked if her wig was in its proper place. Check.

He pouted in a way that he might have thought was "cute", but Sakura found it repulsive. "Feed me."

Knowing she wasn't going to get out of this without either giving herself away or being thrown out of the mansion, her only hope of getting information, Sakura picked up a strawberry and put it in his mouth.

**Pretend it's Sasuke…pretend it's Sasuke! **Her Inner Self had conjured up a mental image that it was Sasuke's lap she was sitting on, rather shirtless, and looking quite devilish as he gazed at her through his bangs with those unfathomable ebony eyes—

Her wonderful scenario burst with a _pop!_ when a rather large strawberry was stuffed sloppily in her mouth, whipped cream going _everywhere_. Licking it off her lips, Sakura tried to look like a cute, innocent girl that this man would want to share his innermost secrets to. From the look in his eyes, it was working.

**.**

**.**

They had found nothing so far on the crime lord. It was as if no one knew anything about him, and it was rather frustrating.

The morning had started out bright and early—or rather not so bright, but plenty early—with no interruptions from Sasuke's little possession. They had split into the same groups as before, and Sasuke and Naruto had decided to go to some of the more riskier places. _Someone_ had to know _something_.

They were just leaving a brothel when the headache hit him so hard, Sasuke stumbled a bit. Naruto, seeing his friend's distress, sat him down on the curb until the dizziness faded. Jokes would probably be made later, but at the moment the blonde was gazing at his friend in concern.

Sasuke took a shaky breath in before growling, "I'm going to kill her."

"Sakura-chan?! Is she okay?! Is she hurt?! What's wrong?"

"I don't know." And that's what scared him.

**.**

**.**

_Sakura—Records Room._

Sakura stared at her assignment for that day. It was weird for two reasons. One was that there was no one assigned with her, she was all by herself. There was also the fact that it was her only chore for that day, normally there would be an entire list full. It made her happy that she'd get some extra time to look around, but suspicious.

The second reason was that for as long as she had been here, no one had ever been assigned to the Records Room. No one. Cain was far too secretive to allow his maids in there often—if at all.

However odd this may have seemed, Sakura was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If she was given a gift-wrapped way to go snooping around this place, she wasn't going to question the higher-ups on their decisions.

Sakura grabbed the small bucket of cleaning supplies and headed to the Records Room. It was directly in the center of the mansion, or so she guessed, so that anyone would have to go through several armed guards to reach it. Slipping inside quietly, just in case, she set the bucket on top of a rosewood desk and looked around. It looked similar to Tsunade-sama's library, only it was a bit smaller.

She picked up a rag and cleaned the nearest surface of a sickening amount of dust. While cleaning the bookshelves, she read the spines of the books as she passed them. Not that she expected to find _Illegal Drug Trafficking 101_ or anything. What she did manage to find was trade routes of all the major countries, and even a few she'd never heard of before. Exquisitely small countries were more often than not liable to be left off a map.

The back wall held scrolls, so she picked up the nearest one. Most of them were lists or itinerary, all quite boring if you weren't specifically looking for something. After hours of relentless searching, and more than a few yawns, she found _it_.

Shipment records.

_40 inmates from River Country—Delivered by Midorikawa Shigure—20 January_

_35 barrels bourbon from Grass Village, Rice Country—Delivered by Kurosawa Ryouji—3 March_

_12 women of Smoke Village—Delivered by Kobayashi Taiki—13 April_

"_Information" from Leaf Village, Fire Country—Delivered by…_

The name had been scratched out.

Mentally, Sakura tried to forget that there was information coming from Konoha. She tried to memorize all the names as quickly as possible, going through the two-page list twice. She had put the scroll in its proper place and was reaching for another scroll when the door swung open. Thinking quickly, Sakura grabbed her rag and tried to look caught in the middle of her productivity before she turned to face the intruders. Her plan quickly sank, however when she realized who was there.

Majo.

And two guards.

"See! I told you I saw her disappear in here!" Majo proclaimed haughtily.

She recognized one of the two guards, the blonde boy she'd met when she had first arrived, but the other one was a stranger and three times as intimidating. He was a burly man, and she saw a hint of a tattoo as he flexed his muscles.

They lunged at her at once, and Sakura evaded both of them. She didn't have her weapons on her and she doubted the rag would do much good unless they were allergic to dust. She punched the burly guy, sending him across the room into a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. The blonde looked a bit more apprehensive, but came at her nonetheless with a kunai. She threw him over her shoulder and stood tall, thinking she'd beat her enemies. But in doing so, she forgot the most important ninja rule:

Don't celebrate unless _all_ of your enemies are down.

She'd forgotten about Majo.

Sadly she only remembered about the witch Head Maid when said person grabbed her wig. Sakura clutched at her wig to keep in on her head and not blow her cover any more than she already had. Majo, thinking she was inflicting serious pain to the girl, _yanked_, which made Sakura's job even harder.

"I suppose it's true that if you want something done right, then you've got to do it yourself."

As the two guards rose from the floor, Majo yanked them both around and began to walk down the corridor with Sakura in tow. It wasn't long before she felt a kunai against her throat, already drawing blood.

Without knocking, Majo barged into Cain's office. Cain looked only mildly surprised at the entrance, but his eyes widened when he saw the rather violent display.

"To what may I owe the honor of your presence?"

"I found _this girl_," the Head Maid rocked Sakura back and forth by her hair, "inside of the Records Room."

"I see." He rested his chin atop both of his hands. "And you did not come directly to me?"

Majo flushed. "I…wanted to catch her in the act, sir."

"You may let her go now."

"But sir—!"

"_Let her go. Now._" Cain growled.

Majo's expression darkened at the order. She narrowed her eyes and Sakura saw her jaw clench. In one last act of defiance, she threw Sakura to the floor. But she let go of Sakura's hair seconds too late.

The wig fell to the floor.

Sakura landed on her hands and knees, pink hair brushing her neck and shoulders.

Her heartbeat sped up as panic welled inside her. She looked up to see the crime lord's reaction.

Cain's eyes were wide, portraying his dark brown eyes. He was standing up now, leaning over his desk to look at her fully, and she noticed his hands were clenched on the edge, chipping off wood. His cheeks were slightly flushed—anger? Humiliation?—and his mouth was wide enough to catch flies. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke.

"_You_."

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **And so that ends Chapter 10. Again, sorry for the wait. I've gotten lazier as of late. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long. Hopefully. As always, please review and tell me what you think.


	11. The Second Star to the Right

**Author's Notes: **Ack!Sorry it's been so long. School is finally out, so hopefully I'll be able to write more. (Hopefully.)

**Title Reference for Chapter Eleven: **"The Second Star to the Right" from _Peter Pan_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 11: The Second Star to the Right

**.**

**.**

It hurt, having your wig torn off of you like that.

Though all things considered, that was the least of the pink haired girl's worries at the moment. The man staring down at her with a shocked and slightly enraged expression had the power to make more than her scalp hurt. Majo and the guards stood silently behind her, though she did not dare break eye contact with the crime lord to see their expressions.

Her first thought was naturally a very reasonable, "My cover is blown." And she was quite happy that she wasn't breaking into hysterics of the thrashing she'd get when, if she couldn't find her way out of this mess on her own, Sasuke had to come save her. He was going to be pissed as he demanded the explanation from her. She'd have to tell him what her mission is, because eventually she'd have to tell him per Tsunade's orders, and then he'd go all avenger-y on her…complete with threats and possibly a curse-seal reactivation.

This train of thoughts led her to her second reasoning, which happened to be a very long, very obscene string of curses.

Her inner self was about ready to fight back and catch them all by surprise. The only effect she had on the calm outer Sakura was a narrowing of emerald irises. The simple motion snapped Cain back into reality—she saw him jerk as if he just woke from a daydream. He was the first to break eye contact to look at his guards. He jerked his head to the right, in a "remove her from my sight" kind of motion.

The first hand descended, and Sakura grabbed it and flipped the owner over her shoulder. Inner Sakura was right this time. She wasn't going down without a fight.

A.K.A.: I've already screwed the mission up, how could it possibly get any worse?

She heard wordless shouts from behind and managed to get her reflexes in gear just in time to avoid a sword. She ducked to the ground, driving her foot into an arc that made guard number two fall flat on his back.

Majo was coming back with a vengeance. She charged at the medic, whipping out a kunai from places unknown. Sakura, being unarmed, could only dodge or else risk injury. Majo, scarily, sort of knew what she was doing. The man she had originally thrown over her shoulder, a brunette, came up behind her, only to be cut chest to hip by the witch. Sakura rolled off to the side and remembered the third guy.

He was just now getting up, having the breath knocked out of him, and picked up his sword once more. Unfortunately, she was surrounded by her three attackers. All of whom were rushing at her.

**Don't think! **Inner Sakura told her, reminding her of her training under Tsunade. **Go by your instinct!**

So she did. Sakura feinted left to avoid the sword, kicked the back of Majo's knees to make her fall, and after regaining her balance, punched the brunette into the far wall.

The only thing she really hadn't taken into consideration was Cain. He spun her around by her shoulders and delivered a punch to her gut that had her gasping for air. As she stood slightly doubled over, she had a good vantage point to see Majo drive a syringe into her calf, smirking like a cat who got the mouse.

The next thing Sakura knew, the world was spinning, darkening at the edges and fading towards the center. Her legs gave way underneath her as the substance took effect, and she plummeted towards the ground.

And not one of them had the decency to catch her. The cads.

**.**

**.**

Whatever they'd put in that syringe, Sakura vowed never to use it even on her worst enemies.

The feeling was horrible. Her mouth was dry, her skin clammy, that uneasy disorientation. All that coupled with one killer migraine and you had one miserable Haruno Sakura.

She had woken up to the lovely stench of decay and damp mold. Her wrists were shackled to the wall and her ankles were bound as well. No matter how hard she tried, there was no getting out of it. Either the substance they had shot up her calf had drained her energy or the cuffs were doing that all on their own.

She was, literally, a prisoner. With a dungeon and everything.

While the rest of the house appeared to be contemporary, modern in structure and style, Sakura was sitting in a room that looked to belong to a medieval torture chamber. She was in a cell with rusty metal barring the entrance. Cold stone made up the structures of walls, floors, and ceiling. The pink haired jounin craned her head to look for an Iron Maiden or perhaps a Rack, but she was disappointed.

It seemed like days, though it was probably just hours, when a creaky door opened at the top of a deteriorating stone staircase. Heavy steps descended the stairs slowly…confidently. The dim lighting seemed to flicker in protest of this new person's intrusion. Sakura's head snapped up wearily, as she searched for a face in the darkness.

A tongue clicked before a voice said, "Haruno Sakura." There was a distinctly metal _clink _and a screech of metal as the cell door opened. The person walked inside and all but slammed the door behind him. "I took you for the type of person with more sense than this."

Cain.

He snorted before slightly kicking her outstretched legs. "And to think I almost…" Sakura watched his silhouette shake his head in the dark. "But that doesn't matter now." He sidled to her side and pulled on the heart pendant attached to her necklace. Gazing at it for a moment, he then threw it down in disgust. Cain dragged over the chair that sat in the corner of the room—a sad, rusty looking affair. He brought it before her and straddled the chair.

"You really thought you could best me?"

Stubbornly, Sakura stayed quiet.

"Though I guess it can't be helped. Konoha just has to stick their noses into everyone's business. Trying to tear down my growing empire. I have nearly every major crime organization within my circle. Did you know that it all began with one snitched beer? All of this for one stupid pick pocketing years ago." He looked nostalgic.

"I don't need your life's story."

Amusement danced loudly in his eyes. "You, little missy, are in no position to be making _demands_." He let out a quiet laugh. "But isn't this what you came here for? Information? It's too bad your costume wasn't a bit better. I was actually starting to like you."

Sakura changed the subject, remembering the mission. "What information were you getting from Konoha?"

Cain looked at her for a beat, and then quietly began to laugh. Soon, quietly turned to uproariously, with his head thrown back. It took the crime lord a few minutes to quiet down, but even then he chuckled when he saw her death glare.

"Are you telling me that you don't even know the reason he _bought_ you?"

Sakura's breath caught in her throat, and it felt like something large was lodged there. He _knew_? Did _everyone_ know except for her?

"Oh this is _rich_! You poor naive girl, I can't believe he never told you!" He left his chair and walked over to her frozen body. Cain took her chin in his hand, and held a rock solid grip even though she struggled. He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "And I'll bet he doesn't even know you've been delivered right into my hands."

Sakura inhaled and was about to ask (demand) that he tell her what was going on, but the door at the top of the concrete steps opened with a loud bang and a figure was silhouetted.

"Sir! We have a situation!"

"I'll be right up!" Cain called back. He ran a finger down her jawbone, and slapped her roughly when Sakura shied away. "A shame what we have to do to shut that pretty mouth of yours." He got up to leave and as he opened the cell door Sakura thought she heard him whisper, "You should have been mine."

But then again with the drugs in her system, he could have said anything and she'd have believed it.

It seemed like forever, sitting in that dank prison. Sakura's head swam and she felt her muscles lack their normal strength. Was this what they had felt like when she was twelve? How did she ever get anything done? Ah, but those were the days. When everything was black and white with a fine line in between. Sasuke would always be aloof and indifferent, though he secretly somewhat cared about his teammates. Naruto would always act like an idiot and fought with his male teammate while showing his undying affections for her, but he showed an unflinching loyalty and perseverance even when the stakes got rough. Kakashi…would always be a pervert. But in Sakura's eyes, the strong and observant masked ninja hung the moon—even if it was only for the characters in his orange book.

Caught up in her musings, she didn't notice the figure step into her cell until he was standing rather obviously in front of her. She jolted. He leaned down and unlocked her handcuffs, and then proceeded to untie her feet. About to thank him for rescuing her, Sakura opened her mouth, but froze when she recognized the attire worn by soldiers on Seaweed Island. She wasn't out of hot water yet.

The figure hauled her roughly to her feet by her upper arm. Sakura made a protest in the back of her throat but the man paid no heed. Instead, he dragged her out of her cell and deeper into the dungeon, where it became darker and more creepy. Bones stared at her with the hollows of their eyes, chained to the wall. Sakura shivered, even in her weary state, at the stench of death that was predominant in the area. And it was growing stronger.

Apparently, the man found what he was looking for. Sakura noticed it as well, when his booted footsteps went from _click_…_click_…_click_ to _thump_…_thump_. Stopping, he bent down—twisting his charge's arm in a rather awkward position as he did so—and lifted the latch to a trap door. The sound of quietly flowing water was heard far beneath them.

They were going to kill her. This man was sent to quiet her. He'd throw her in this river and she'd drown. Ohgoshohgoshohgoshoh—

A heavy hand descended on her back and Sakura was thrust in the hole. She fell with a short cry before landing on solid ground beneath her, her leg twisting and snapping underneath her.

**.**

**.**

Sasuke cussed.

The four men had come into this stupid compound expecting to find a few guards. What they found was an army, plus civilians who heard the commotion and decided to join the cause.

It had turned out he was right. Sakura was here. One of the techniques he could use because of his possession over her was that he could peer into her mind. He could never stay for long though. Her violent subconscious kicked him out whenever he delved too deep. Besides that fact, he could only do it when they were in relative proximity of each other, seven and a half miles was the max.

After an uneventful morning, he and Naruto were eating lunch. Naruto excused himself to go to the bathroom, and that was when he made his move. He closed his eyes and slipped into deep meditation, going inside Sakura's mind. He was surprised at the relative ease, it had been awhile since he'd done this. He saw a large room with a desk at the far end. She walked towards the other end, aware of others at her back. Sasuke felt a rush of _anxiety_ and _fear_, but not fear that she'd be hurt, fear for something else…

It was then he backed out, she probably didn't even know he'd been there in the first place. The first priority was finding out where that room was.

He snatched Naruto—who yelped at the suddenness—and explained the situation bouncing off rooftops looking for the other two members of their group. Shikamaru and Neji were eating as well, which is why they frowned when the situation was explained to them. The four of them settled in a hotel room to discuss plans.

"The most logical place to look is here," Shikamaru said as he pointed to a map. "The area has only been moderately surveyed"—they winced at the mistake—"so we don't have a good idea of what we're up against. The bad news is that the man-in-charge is surrounded by guards. The good news is that they're mostly missing-nin, and probably not very good ones at that." He popped a cigarette in his mouth. "It appears that we don't have the tactical knowledge to make a stealth invasion, so we're going to have to show up and take what comes."

The four began to suit up, putting on full ANBU gear and collecting their weapons. To make sure that they were not seen before they had reached their destination, they pulled black cloaks on and put the hoods up.

"Right," Stated Shikamaru from behind his mask. "Neji, I want you by the main gates. I want position updates of the guards every twenty seconds."

"So basically," Naruto remarked. "We're stealthy until we get past the wall, and then it's smashy-smashy."

"Precisely." Their tactician said curtly, though you could here the smirk in his voice.

"Cool."

Thad had been nearly an hour ago.

It had been pandemonium since then, with people rushing into the front gates like they were fighting for the last shred of meat in a starving town. The numbers were nearly overwhelming. Thankfully, most of them were not warriors, so they were easy to either knock out or kill.

Sasuke dragged his katana along the neck of his latest victim—a missing-nin from Waterfall. The man made a bubbling sound before he fell limply to the ground. But the dark haired Uchiha couldn't stop for a moment to revel in the kill. Kill one, move on and kill another. The repetition was a little boring.

"Uchiha! Go find Haruno!" Neji yelled. "She's a few floors beneath us!"

Now, Sasuke did revel. When his clan's rival had yelled his surname, most of the enemy nin stilled at the sound. He was infamous.

But no time for that now. His charge was in danger, her frantic heartbeat pounded in his ears.

**.**

**.**

"Get up." The guard demanded her. All Sakura could do was cough as she pushed chakra down her leg, trying to dull the pain. It wasn't enough though. Blinding flashes of white danced in front of her eyes. "Get _up_!" This statement was punctuated by a sharp kick to her ribs. The pink haired woman sucked in a breath and fell to her side. The guard muttered something derogatory about women before hauling her bodily to her feet by her upper arm. When he discovered that she couldn't walk, he thought nothing of it. He simply dragged her along the concrete ground.

Meanwhile, Sakura was concentrating on catching her breath. She tried not to think about what he could do to her in this weak and vulnerable state. _Cross that bridge when we come to it_, she thought.

The area smelled rancid. It was almost too much to fight down her pain _and_ her gag reflex at the same time. The concrete pulled at the maid's dress she still wore, tearing it at her back and, embarrassingly, her butt. She already felt her back bleeding from the rough treatment, but thankfully her rear was still in tact.

Suddenly, she was dropped to the ground, her head knocking back hard on the concrete. She blinked before looking up at the guard, who was looking all around them.

"This'll do," he said.

Sakura opened her mouth, but her voice had left her some minutes ago. The drug in her system was making her no more frightening than a kitten. She cursed in her head.

The guard grabbed her hair roughly and tugged her over to the water's edge. As her nose was suspended from it, she discovered that _this_ was the source of the foul smell. He had brought her to a sewer—

Without warning, her head was plunged beneath the surface.

**.**

**.**

Sasuke felt _her_. He felt her more strongly than ever. Her subconscious made itself known in his mind, screaming like the very soul was being torn out of her.

**Sasuke!** She yelled. **Quick!**

He had reached the dungeon and found the cells empty. He was stuck for the moment, taking a moment to try and figure out where she was being taken. And then this happened.

She was dying.

**Sasuke! **

He ran down the corridor, going deeper into the prison. His feet guided him. He could hardly concentrate for the yelling in his head. Not only that, his mind was conjuring up memories—his? hers?—from their genin days.

_Good morning Sasuke-kun!_ As she greeted him on their bridge.

_Sasuke-kun!_ As she ran to him to save him from the cursed seal.

And then there were memories he knew were hers. Things he had never seen before.

_The nagging pain at her skull. The last resort. _

'_Hey guess what!'_

"_It's pointless, that won't work on me." The sound nin said from behind her. _

'_I just found out…'_

_A smirk. "I never said it was for _you_."_

_How easily those strands were cut._

' _Sasuke likes girls with long hair!'_

Sasuke looked down into the open manhole. Their bond drew him. He jumped.

"_I'll get you!! Even if you blow off my arms and legs, if I take in your poison and it paralyzes me, I'll get you, I swear it!!"_

An image of a moonlit, teary young girl with pink hair entered his mind next.

"_On that day, you taught me that solitude is painful!"_

He pumped more chakra in his legs to go faster. His heart clenched in worry. Worry that he went the wrong way. Worry that the bond would suddenly die and he'd lose her. Forever.

"_I have family, and I have friends but if you're gone..."_

**Sasuke. **The voice was becoming weaker.

There! He saw two figures. The bond felt like a fluttering bird between them.

He punched the guard harshly and roughly pulled his teammate out of the water. She didn't take a big gulp of air like one was supposed to do when held underwater for an indeterminable amount of time.

"Sakura?" He asked.

"…_to me…"_

The guard rebounded, and the Uchiha barely had anytime to react before he was gutted by the man's broadsword. He dove left, avoiding the next attack. The only good thing about a broadsword was that they were heavy, which meant it took longer to recover after an attack.

Soon, he saw an opening and lunged at the man's heart. His katana rebounded off of the solid material. The guard began to chuckle.

"Foolish boy. No weapon forged can pierce this—" He cut off abruptly. For as he was talking, the man in front of him sent a Chidori down his blade and cut through armor and bone like soft butter. He fell to the ground. Dead.

Not stopping to think, Sasuke dropped to his knees beside the medic. "Sakura! Come on, breathe!" He pushed on her chest to work the water from her lungs, but she did nothing. A wave of panic coursed through him. "Sakura! Breathe!" He tried to find her in his mind, but she had disappeared. He pushed again.

When she did not respond, he pushed his mask aside, opened her mouth, took a deep breath, and began to breathe into her. He winced as the foul liquid met his tongue. But he kept breathing.

Nothing.

"…_It will be the same as being alone."_

He was too late.

**.**

**.**

The three remaining boys had either killed or scared the rest of the opposition away. Most had gone running to the front door once they realized their numbers had significantly dwindled.

Naruto finished off the last one and looked over to his other two teammates, talking in hushed tones about the next plan of action. He walked up to them.

"…probably go find Uchiha and see if he needs our assistance." Neji voiced from behind his mask.

"Good idea. I'll stay and look after _him_." Shikamaru jerked his thumb over to the bound and gagged crime lord.

"I'll go with Neji. Even though Sasuke won't need our help." He snorted. "He may not look it, but he's crazy possessive over Sakura-chan, with or without that whole "buying" thing they've got going. He won't let anything happen to her."

Neji sighed. "Let's hope you're right, Naruto. But in any case, we should hurry."

Naruto nodded, cast a nod at Shikamaru before jogging to catch up with Neji. He was next to the Hyuuga prodigy when he stopped in his tracks.

"Naruto? What is it?"

Naruto gulped, feeling like a lead weight had been dropped in his stomach. "I just had this really bad feeling." He set a serious gaze on the white-eyed boy. "Let's go. Quickly."

**.**

**.**

It was black.

Not nighttime black, with a soft light from the moon or stars. Just…black. A void without color. It went in every direction, even above and beneath her. It felt like a lifeless space. Sensory deprivation. She could barely even hear her recovering voice.

"Sakura!"

She turned in every different direction to find where the voice came from. He, she could tell it was masculine, was nowhere to be found. A faceless voice she couldn't even place.

"Am I…dead?" She asked herself, but as expected, no one answered.

So she floated. Time seemed to stretch forever in a few seconds. It was limitless here.

"Sakura!"

Her head popped up. There it was again. How odd. Surely wherever she was, he was not here with her. It made no sense that she should hear him. Sakura bit her bottom lip in thought. When she brought it back into her mouth, there was a nasty surprise waiting for her.

"Ugh! That's terrible!" She spit a few times trying to get the taste out of her mouth. "It tastes like a sewer…"

And then it all came back to her.

Mission.

Don't tell the boys.

Sasuke.

…

Sasuke! The voice!

Sakura looked everywhere again, trying to find him. Everything looked the same…she didn't even know if she was upside down right now.

"Sasuke!" She called. "Where are you?!"

"Sakura! Breathe!" He yelled. She felt a pressure on her chest, but nothing was there.

"Sakura." A little softer this time. Like he was giving up. "Open your eyes."

Sakura closed her eyes and imagined his face. Details beginning to form a blurry image to perfection. Every line. Every crease. Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke.

_I want to live!_

**.**

**.**

He hung his head in defeat. She was dead. There was nothing he could do for her now. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. How would he even begin to tell Naruto? Or Kakashi? She was dead and it was because of his little hesitation.

_One more time._ A little voice in the back of his head ghosted. _Try again. _

"She's dead!" He yelled painfully into the air.

_One more time._ The little voice said again, like he hadn't just given up on her. _Try again._

Sasuke sighed angrily and looked down to the peaceful face of the girl in front of him. He gently grabbed her chin and pulled open her mouth. He leaned down, and breathed into her again.

Sakura's body jerked.

The Uchiha pulled away just in time to see her eyes pop open. Her lungs spasmed in an effort to cough up the water she'd inhaled. Relief washed through him, even as he helped her turn on her side to assist her efforts.

She was alive.

She took long, shaky breaths in and short breaths out, trying to regulate her breathing again.

"Sa…suke…"

"Shh. I'm right here." He grabbed her hand to anchor her. She smiled a little before she began to cough up more water, as well as some stomach fluid. He wished he could give her some clean water to rid the taste but one: he didn't have any and two: it was more important that she calm down before he should give her anything. Tears fell down her cheeks, but only barely. As if she was holding them back to keep him from seeing her cry. Silly girl. But it was now he finally took notice of the leg that was twisted in the odd angle. He turned a murderous glare to the fallen body of the guard. It was a good thing he was already dead, or else he now would have been mutilated.

Five minutes later, she was still breathing irregularly, though she wasn't trembling anymore. Her eyes were closed as if it were to much trouble to keep them open.

But she never let go of his hand.

Tentatively, he wrapped her in his cloak, covering the wounds on her back and her ripped dress, which revealed more of her than he wanted anyone else to see. Sasuke picked her up and her head lolled against his chest in fatigue. He walked back, careful not to jostle her. It seemed she was asleep now. He reached and brushed off a lock of hair from her face.

He walked back to the open manhole and stared at the ladder he hadn't bothered using. It would be awkward trying to climb up with a girl in his arms, and he didn't want to risk just jumping with the two of them through the tiny little hole.

Well, awkwardness looked to be the lesser of two evils.

He painfully slowly climbed up. Doing it with one hand hurt her, he knew, because he didn't have too much support on her.

He was three quarters of the way to the top when two masked faces appeared. He knew them instantly.

"Naruto, take her." And it must have been life-or-death serious because he called Naruto by his actual name. Naruto laid flat on his stomach to get leverage while Neji held him in place by his feet. "Careful, her leg is broken."

Naruto nodded in recognition before gently taking his female teammate. He brought her up through the small hole, watching her head, and from there she was passed to Neji so that Naruto could stand up. By the time Neji had a firm grip on her, however, Sasuke was already through the hole, and he took her back again.

The three joined Shikamaru, who was staring down the crime lord through his mask. The crime lord—Cain, they learned he was called—looked a little wide-eyed at the presence of the breathing pink haired nin. Sasuke, noticing where his gaze was, removed Sakura from his sight. This man had already disgusted him enough for one lifetime.

They snuck back into their hotel rooms via the windows. It would arouse too much commotion if they just waltzed through the front door—they had already tried that, terrible disaster. Sasuke went to his own room and the other three stayed in another, giving them their privacy.

The remaining Uchiha set her down gently on one of the two beds, unwrapping his cloak from her form. He grabbed one of the water bottles from his pack, unscrewed it, and set it on the nightstand for the time being. He sat down next to her.

"Sakura." He gently nudged her shoulder.

She made a groaning sound.

"Sakura, wake up."

Her eyes barely opened.

"I have some water, if you feel like you can handle it."

Even behind her half-lidded expression, Sakura seemed eager. "Help me sit up." She sat up only enough, and only got in a few large gulps, before collapsing back onto the bed.

It was at this moment Sasuke decided he would never let her out of his sight again. Ever.

**.**

**.**

Uneventfully, they had returned to Konoha. Whatever was in Sakura's system had been mostly flushed out, and she was back to her old self again. Though Sasuke wasn't. He refused to let her use her low reserves of chakra to heal her leg, instead following her instructions how to set it and bind it properly. Naruto had come in a few times to see how she was. The first time he gave her a bear hug so big that Sasuke had to bodily throw him off. She had laughed as the two bickered.

Her boys.

They had taken an earlier boat than expected back to the mainland. Sakura was forced to piggyback the Uchiha because of her still throbbing leg. Naruto had made a comment on the matter and Neji had smirked and snorted. Needless to day she had smacked them both jarringly upside the head. She had almost slapped Sasuke for his own smirk but he had threatened to drop her, even though she knew he wouldn't dare. She huffed.

Shikamaru was the only one smart enough to keep his mouth shut. He must have learned that skill from experience with Ino.

Once they'd reached the hospital in Konoha, after grueling hours of boredom on the dark haired teen's back, Sasuke stayed by her side until Tsunade arrived. Sasuke looked at her murderously; after all, Sakura's mission had already been explained to him. He had given the pink haired woman Hell about that too.

Tsunade shooed him out of the room. Or rather, tried to. He wouldn't budge an inch. In the end, it took screaming threats of taking away every title he'd ever had, D-Class missions until he wound up in the psychiatric ward, and a removal of a certain piece of his anatomy that would be extremely helpful to the restoration of his clan. He grudgingly walked out to the waiting room.

And the moment the door was closed Sakura had thrown up her arms and shouted, "Men!"

Tsunade had laughed.

Now, nearly a week and a half after her near death experience, she walked down to the kitchen of the Uchiha household. Tsunade had done a fine job of healing her leg, and she had to prove almost daily to Sasuke she wasn't going to keel over and die.

Sakura found him at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper probably for lack of anything better to do. It was late afternoon, six-ish, and the dying light still illuminated most of the kitchen.

"Hey." She said, leaning against the doorframe.

He looked up, putting the paper down. "Hey." He frowned suddenly. "How's your leg?"

"Oh it's fine." Sakura said lightly. "It's still a little tender, but it's fine."

"That's good."

There was a moment of pause. Sakura swallowed in preparation for her next question. "Sasuke, why did you buy me?" It had been nagging on her ever since Cain's comment, but it was only now that she got up the courage to ask.

If an Uchiha had the physical capability to pull of a deer-in-the-headlights look, that's how he would have looked at that moment. Instead, he gave off a calm appearance after a momentary stillness, while his insides were just plain frozen. A feeling of dread went through him. "Sakura…" Though he said her name in such a tone of voice that signified a "we'll talk about it later" kind of deal.

"Sasuke," Sakura growled. "I have a right to know." When his eyes didn't move from her face, she lowered her head, suddenly feeling very self-conscious when he looked at her like that.

Meanwhile, Sasuke very quietly sighed. She was right. It was time to tell her.

Silently, he rose from the table and padded over to her. Sakura's head snapped up only when she saw his feet.

"Sasuke?"

Instead of responding, he turned her around and put his hands around her waist. He guided her through the living room and up the stairs. He went down the hall a short ways and guided them both into his room.

The door shut quietly behind him.

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **Before any of you have the chance to tell me: yes, I _do_ know that I'm evil. I mean how could I possibly leave a cliffhanger right there?! Well you see, it's quite easy. I just stop writing! Mwahaha! So we've got an action-packed chapter that, with the way I'm updating, you'll have another two months to stew over! Hopefully not though! Eek! As always, reviews are appreciated, and I'm going to try my absolute hardest to update sooner! Scouts honor!


	12. Trust in Me

**Author's Notes: **Finally, the chapter you have all been waiting for. My goodness people, get your minds out of the gutter! But do not fret! Laying Claim isn't over yet! It's not over till I say it's over. Anyway, as for the chapter title, go and at least read the lyrics to the song. It is the most amazing song, and I nearly melted reading the words to it. Short, but sweet. For those of you who actually read my author's notes, I'll shut up now so that you can read.

**Title Reference for Chapter Twelve: **"Trust in Me" from _The Jungle Book_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 12: Trust in Me

**.**

**.**

Sasuke heard the door click softly behind him. He guided the pink haired woman to his bed, sitting her down and then he sat down himself, facing her. Sakura swiveled her body so that they faced each other fully.

Sasuke closed his eyes in thought for a moment. This was it. He was finally going to tell her. He wondered how she was going to react. Would there be tears? Broken ribs? Screaming? Probably all three.

He also contemplated how to approach it. He couldn't just outright blurt it out. She'd get so mad that there would be a Sasuke-sized hole in his bedroom wall. He had to make her understand…somehow…that what he did was justified. If he could boost his image up a few points in her eyes while he was at it, then so be it.

A soft hand touched his own, which was resting on his leg. He sat in such a way that one leg was dangling over the side of the bed while the other was folded in front of him. Sakura sat cross-legged.

Sasuke opened his eyes slowly, finding difficulty in meeting her eyes but doing so just the same. Those green eyes stared into his, pleading and somewhat confused. He saw her swallow heavily, biting her lip momentarily, he watched her mental battle and knew the precise moment she pulled her courage together.

"Sasuke…" She said softly. "Please?"

Said man let out a slow exhale through his nose. Not quite a sigh, though. He'd deny it if anyone accused him of stalling.

_Right_, he thought. _From the beginning then_.

"It all started on an escort mission to Iwagakure…"

**.**

**.**

_The scenery in Waterfall Country was one of the best around. The Southern Border, bordering the Fire Country, held sturdy trees that were ancient. The best kind of trees for hopping place to place on. It reminded him of the trees in the Forest of Death, with their huge trunks and large branches. In fact, Sasuke would have enjoyed being up in the trees if not for the mission he was currently on. _

_Uchiha Sasuke was wearing full ANBU regalia, complete with his wolf mask. He may have been only one man, but he currently guarded a group of four men. The leader had protested once he heard the Hokage's orders and growled at her excuse that they were desperately short of shinobi at the moment. The man's opinion drastically changed, however, as soon as the youngest Uchiha stepped inside the room. He must have felt the dangerous aura coming off the man—that suppressed aura that seemed calm, but was ready to spring and kill at any moment's notice—and the man had agreed that he would feel safe knowing the Uchiha was around. _

"_Sasuke," The Hokage addressed. "This is Cain. He and his three companions will be your charges for this mission. They require safe passage to the Village Hidden in the Rocks in the Land of Earth." _

_It didn't have to be said why this mission was A-Ranked. Waterfall wasn't feeling too generous as of late about travelers. Waterfall and Leaf may have been allies, but it was stingy at best. They could have taken passage through Grass, but that would nearly double travel time and Cain had specified that time was of the essence. _

"_You will assemble at the gates in an hour. Sasuke, you're dismissed."_

_The Uchiha poofed out of the room and landed outside his room at the Uchiha Mansion. He collected his things quickly, but even then it took half of his allotted time. He had to check his weapons to make sure they were sharp enough and if they weren't he'd have to sharpen them. _

_He looked in a drawer in his closet, prepared to grab a few soldier and blood replenishing pills, but found it empty. It only served as a reminder that he needed to see Sakura to get some more. _

_He finished packing the rest of his things and slung the bag onto his back, hanging the ANBU mask on his waist. He locked up his house and performed the necessary seals to pop into the medic's office. _

_She jumped when he came in._

**.**

**.**

"I remember that," Sakura interrupted. "You nearly scared me half to death!"

Sasuke ignored her and kept going.

**.**

**.**

"_Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed with her hand to her heart. "There's a reason for doors, you know!"_

"_Hn."_

"_Don't you "hn" me, Mr. Stoic. I bet you wouldn't be "hn"-ing so much when you had to save me from cardiac arrest!"_

"_**Hn**__." Sasuke stressed. _

"_Agh!" Sakura screamed in frustration before bringing her head down hard on her desk. The Uchiha smirked. She looked at him, dryly. "Did you need something or did Naruto dare you to see how long you could frustrate me until I sent you through a wall?"_

"_I'm out of soldier pills."_

"_In that case…" The medic rolled her chair to a filing cabinet and opened the bottom drawer with a key. "You're lucky, we just got some the other day." She threw him a small box that looked like any other medicine box at the store. The difference was this box was pure white, with a purple circle sticker in the center of it. "Anything else, while I'm in here?"_

"_Blood replenishing pills."_

_Sakura nodded before diving back into the cabinet, her brows creasing before not finding what she was looking for. She roughly pulled open the drawer directly above the previous and threw him a white box with a red circle sticker in the center. He heard her mumble something about the interns while she locked her cabinet back up. Instead of sliding over to her desk though, she stood and walked until she was in front of her desk, facing him._

"_I suppose you're experienced enough that I don't have to give you the "safety talk" regarding those pills?"_

_He raised an amused eyebrow._

"_Just checking. Difficult mission?"_

"_No, escort mission. This was just the best time to get some."_

"_Well, just be safe anyway." Sakura walked back to sit behind her desk, and she interrupted him halfway through his transportation seals. "Sasuke?"_

_He paused and looked at her._

"_Try not to torment them too much, okay?"_

_Sasuke snorted a laugh and smirked before performing the final seal and disappearing from his teammates office._

_He was the last one to arrive at the gates, surprisingly. Maybe Kakashi was rubbing off on him after all. Thankfully though, no one seemed to have noticed his tardiness, they just acknowledged him with a nod and let him lead the way on the dirt path away from the village._

_Sasuke kept out of sight mostly the entire way to Rock. He and his charges decided that it would be better for any assassins to come out of hiding so Sasuke could deal with them. It was a good system, and it kept the shinobi from actually having to talk to the stuck up millionaires. _

_There had only been one disturbance throughout the entire trip, and that was when a squad of enemy nin—poorly disguised enemy nin, possibly really old Genin—jumped out of the bushes. They were dealt with without Sasuke having to use any of his chakra or weaponry. He wondered how it was possible to throw a whole slew of weapons and miss every single time. Stupid incompetent ninja…_

_On the second night, they had set up camp in a small clearing near a river. Sasuke was pretty sure they had no idea where he was, because they talked freely amongst themselves. He was about to close his eyes—nothing could get past him even when he slept—when he heard snippets of their conversation._

"…_Konoha girl…medic…"_

"_Medic?"_

"…_pink hair…great body…"_

_Sasuke's attention was _piqued.

"…_idiots…ancient law…so damn _easy_."_

"_Cain?"_

_There was a break in the conversation, and the Uchiha prodigy thought they had heard him since he had moved closer to them to fully hear the conversation. His fears were unfounded, however, as the group of men kept talking. _

"_You're not serious, are you?"_

_The man called Cain released a bark of laughter. "Of course I'm serious. Since that law is still in effect, I'm going to buy her."_

"_You couldn't just ask her to marry you?" One of the companions deadpanned._

_Cain's eyes sparkled. "Oh no…this plan is much better. See, when I buy her, she'll have to do whatever I say. She'll be loyal to me and only me. Forever."_

_Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he felt like pummeling them into the ground and claiming their death's on the conscience of rogue ninja, but he sat in a tree gripping the limb so tight it was beginning to break. _

_Cain leaned back on the log he was sitting on. "I mean, it's not like she has a choice in the matter."_

"_So this is the whole reason we're going to Rock?"_

"_I've got some…business to do there anyway, but not many people are left that can perform the jutsu. One of the only ones left lives in Rock, and I've got his location right here." He pulled out a sheet of paper and waved it tauntingly. _

_The conversation mostly died down from there, and the men quickly fell asleep next to the fire. Sasuke silently jumped down from his perch and walked towards a sleeping Cain. In the man's pocket was that note, and he had to know what it read. He was pulling out the paper when Cain gave a snort. Sasuke froze, and waited for his breathing to even out again. He turned on his Sharingan and read the paper so as to be sure every detail would be copied into his memory. Once he was done, he put the paper back where he found it and hopped back into the forest. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day indeed…_

_The next day, they reached Iwagakure at sunset. The men immediately went to a bar, got positively drunk while Sasuke was being hit on, and retired to their hotel room for the night. Sasuke took this as his chance and silently made his way to the address on Cain's sheet of paper. _

_It was a hovel, to say the least, and the door was decidedly shut and very locked. No matter, he wasn't a ninja for nothing. He unlocked the door and stepped into a room lit only by candles and a few lamps. It reminded him more of a fortune teller's house than one who was rumored to possess an amazing ninjutsu technique. A dark purple curtain separated one room from the next, and Sasuke stepped through…_

…_only to catch a dagger not inched from his forehead. _

"_A shinobi, eh?"_

_He assumed the aging man sitting with his back turned to him was the man he was looking for. He had to have been a decent shinobi if not even Sasuke could detect his presence. _

_But he was growing old, and therefore Sasuke had the advantage. _

"_You will tell me exactly what I need to know."_

_The man seemed unimpressed, and he turned around with a dry look on his face. "Is that so?" He gave Sasuke a good once-over. "Konoha, hm? And an ANBU at that. Impressive." He slowly got up, joints popping. "I suppose I can give you five minutes, let me make some tea first."_

_The said ANBU didn't let his chin fall to the floor, but he felt Naruto would have gone berserk at this man's attitude. _

_A mug of tea in front of both of them, Sasuke kneeled across from this strange man—he said his name was "Youju"._

"_So I assume you came here with a purpose? Or do you sneak into people's homes as practice?"_

"_What do you know of a man named Cain?" Uchiha Sasuke wasn't known to beat around the bush. _

_Youju's eyes widened a fraction. "Oh…so you're here for that purpose…" He sighed. "Well this is complicated."_

_Sasuke raised an eyebrow._

"_That fool has probably been running his mouth I see. Wouldn't know the meaning of the word "secrecy" if it bit him in the ass."_

"_Just what exactly is he planning on doing?"_

_The man hesitated for a moment before giving in. "There are complicated laws. Most countries have done away with them, but a few still have them and don't even know they're still active. It's an ancient practice anyway, it just died out over the centuries. There is a bunch of technical jargon, but they mostly say that prominent men—shinobi or not—can buy women who are of significantly lower status. For civilians, it means that rich men can buy poor women, but in shinobi terms…" he looked at Sasuke dead in the eye. "Men from _very _prominent clans can buy women who aren't from a clan. Civilians…other shinobi…there are all kinds of people that apply."_

"_Where does the jutsu come in?"_

"_I cast the jutsu on something the woman in question is to receive—jewelry, clothes, etc. It makes sure that certain elements of the man's possession are upon her. She must obey her master or else receive some sort of punishment which the master decides. The man will be able to feel what she feels, and if he has enough talent, he can read her mind. There are others of course, but that's the gist."_

"_So Cain…"_

"_Can control whomever he decides to buy…I believe he showed interest in this girl." Youju put a picture of Sakura on the table in front of him, and Sasuke felt his—dare he say it?—heart constrict at the thought of that man owning one of his precious persons. _

"_You can't let him buy her."_

"_Unfortunately, he's already paid me a large sum of money. I hate to do it, especially since she looks like a decent woman, but times are tough in Earth."_

"_I'll pay you triple to not cast the jutsu."_

"_Sorry, but the only way I can undo his hold over her is if someone else were to buy her first. A woman can only be bought by one man after all."_

_Sasuke's jaw clenched as he took a moment to think. He didn't have to think very long, however, and the deciding factor in his mind was a crying Sakura next to slimy, disgusting Cain. "I'll…buy her…"_

_She was going to murder him for this. _

_The man smiled. "Good, because I really hate that man. But you'll need to find something to give her, preferably jewelry. Clothes start to smell when you can't take them off…"_

_Which is the reason that Sasuke stood out in the middle of the market as stores were closing, racing around trying to buy something. He went to the nearest place and looked for anything. Probably a necklace. A ring would get in the way of her punching and he knew she hated wearing earrings for any length of time. _

"_How much is that?" He pointed to a heart pendant with red and white stones. Colors Sakura wore and the colors of the Uchiha clan. _

"_Ah, the red and white diamond pendant, they only are found here in Earth, you know. Well since you look like a nice guy, I'll cut you a deal."_

_He raced back to Youju's house (shack) and put his purchase in the center of the table. The man cast the jutsu, Sasuke having to put a significant amount of chakra in the necklace so it would actually work, and it was over before he knew it. He explained to Sasuke the finer details of owning someone like this, and Sasuke was getting up to leave when he heard Youju call out to him._

"_It's probably best if Cain doesn't find out you're the one who bought her in his place. I know of his…connections and you could put yourself and the girl at risk of some serious harm. I'll make up some lie to tell him when he comes in tomorrow. And…it's probably not a good thing to tell her about Cain either. According to what you've told me about her personality, she'll go racing off to try to kill him or do something equally as stupid."_

_Sasuke nodded._

_When Cain walked out of Youju's hovel the next morning, his face was red with fury and his balled up fists were shaking. He turned on Sasuke, and for one moment Sasuke thought he'd be accused of stealing Sakura away before he remembered Youju's promise the night before. _

"_You. Shinobi. You're job here is _done_." _

_And with the dismissal, Sasuke headed back home by himself. _

_In a random town, he bought something to put the necklace in—a blue box with a white ribbon the saleslady insisted on giving him. "Because you're so cute" was her excuse. The moment he got through the gates, he raced to Sakura's apartment, climbed in through her window, and put the box on her desk. He made his escape when he heard the front door unlock, leaving everything exactly as it had been. _

_He stood on her roof and felt her overwhelming presence when she put on the necklace. When it was safe to tell her, when Cain was locked away and couldn't hurt her, he hoped she would understand. But for now she had to face the facts. _

_Haruno Sakura officially and legally belonged to Uchiha Sasuke. _

**.**

**.**

Sakura's green eyes were wide as he finished his tale. His face looked blank, but she knew Sasuke better than that. His eyes told her he was ashamed of what he had to do. The lesser of two evils, someone might have called it.

She belonged to him. Forever. Which now that she had heard the whole story, wasn't half as bad as being Cain's slave for the rest of her days. She remembered something her captor had said when she was still on Seaweed Island. Cain said, "You should have been mine." At the time, she had assumed it was the drugs making her hear things, but it had been real.

Meanwhile, Sasuke took her silence for a negative response, and lifted himself off the bed and walked to the door.

"Sasuke, wait!" Sakura called out to him, but the dark haired man kept walking. Finally, Sakura jumped off the bed and hugged him tightly from the back and buried her head in between his shoulders like she had done so many years ago in the Chuunin Exams. He stopped, but his form was tense, as if ready to spring away at any moment.

"Sasuke…I…uh…" Sakura fumbled her words before finding the phrase that meant more than the world to both of them. "Thank you."

When he didn't react, she wondered if she said the wrong thing, or said the right thing but too late, but when he put one of his hands over hers and she felt him relax, she knew that it was all going to turn out okay.

They didn't move for a long time.

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **So you finally figure out what happened. But just because Sakura figures everything out doesn't mean this story is over just yet! There will probably be a few more chapters and I'm already planning a sequel, so never fear! Hope you all liked the chapter and didn't think it was too boring. By the way, "Youju" is short for "**Youjutsusha", which I'm pretty, maybe, kinda sure is Japanese for "sorcerer", just in case any of you were wondering. As always, please review and tell me what you think. I can't promise a speedy update, but I can promise you an update. Another thanks to those of you who patiently waited for this chapter. **


	13. Mine, Mine, Mine

**Author's Notes:** Umm…hehe? I'm so sorry! I hate it when authors do this kind of thing, but it really can't be helped! I think I put most of my author's notes at the bottom this time around, so read those if you're actually interested. So read on, young reader, to some of my favorite scenes to have written in my entire _career_ as a writer! Oh, but pretty soon, stay tuned for a mini-series that's currently in the works. I'll probably post it after I finish either this story or _Dear Annie_, but if I get bored or if I'm taking too long to update I'll probably post it sooner than that. So keep your eyes open, it's called _Catch 22_.

**Title Reference for Chapter Thirteen: **"Mine, Mine, Mine" from _Pocahontas_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 13: Mine, Mine, Mine

**.**

**.**

Sakura woke up surprisingly early the next morning. To wake up before sunrise was one thing, but to wake up before _Sasuke_ was another. When she awoke on most days, he was gone. Sometimes she had a small amount of his warmth left to cuddle into, and sometimes the other side of the bed was cold.

But today was different, because Sakura woke up curled into the Uchiha's side. He was lying on his back and she facing him, an arm around her back anchoring her to him. With the help of the moonlight she was able to see his facial features. She liked him like this. Well, of course she liked the ruggedly sexy looks he gave off, the masculine smirks, and smoldering expressions with his eyes, but this was different. Like this, he looked like he was at peace. His facial features were softened in sleep, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Sakura smiled and gently pulled his bangs out of his face, careful not to wake him up.

She remembered the first day she'd woken up in his bed. That day, she would have killed him if the bond allowed her to even lay a finger in harm on him, but she'd only been able to glare while he took amusement in her flustered face and uneven breath. She had once cursed the arm wrapped around her that turned into steel when she tried to escape, but now it was a comforting weight against the small of her back.

She felt protected.

She felt cared for.

She felt like he would turn the world upside down for her.

Laying her head back on his shoulder, she took a relaxing breath of the scent she identified only with him. The first day she'd imagined a fire in the wilderness…a forest. He used unscented shampoo and soap so that he'd be harder to track on missions, so any distinct smell he gave off was purely _him_. Letting out her breath, she blushed a little when a small moan accompanied it.

And the fact he slept shirtless? One would think this would be a huge advantage, but in reality it was Sakura's biggest downfall. She had to keep her hormones in check constantly or else risk losing control and running her tongue over the contours of his god-like body…especially those rock hard abs of his…

…anyways…

Sakura closed her eyes to go back to sleep, just in case he woke up and found her staring at him. Heaving a contented sigh, her body relaxed against him, relishing in the comfort he brought.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had known she was awake practically since she lifted her head off of his shoulder. It was apart of his ninja awareness to sense changes around him. He kept his face still to make her believe that he was still asleep. But with his eyes closed, he hadn't known what she was doing until she moved hair from his face. It still amazed him that even after his confession last night she was acting this way towards him. He expected that infamous temper of hers, and if not that then definite damage done to his house. But there was no feminist remarks of, "I can take care of myself, damn it!" instead she had rested her head against his back for a long time and when she spoke it was something completely unexpected.

"It's late. We should probably go to bed." She released him, and he turned around to look her in the eyes. He had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't misreading the emotion in her eyes.

Trust.

His heart was doing funny things in his chest as she shut off the light and grabbed his hand, taking him to bed with her. He decided, as she fell asleep in his arms, the feelings she provoked weren't exactly a bad thing.

**.**

**.**

When Sakura awoke again, it was light outside. She took one look at the clock and shrieked.

The reaction from her owner was instantaneous.

His eyes snapped open and he sat up, kunai in hand. After assessing that was no danger—other than the fact Sakura was going to trip and bump her head against something since she was scrambling to get her clothes on—he stared at her.

"Sakura? What's going on?"

"I'm late for work! I was supposed to be there _two hours ago_!" She slipped into the walk-in closet to get her shirt on. He walked up to the door and heard her mumbling, "She's…kill me!…Medics…prompt…"

"Sakura…"

"…more training…paperwork!"

"_Sakura_." Sasuke said shortly.

"…evil…abuser of her power…"

With no forewarning, Sasuke opened the door to his closet. Sakura was in front of him in only her biker shorts and bra, and she yelped, trying to cover herself. She gave a panicked, "_Sasuke?!?!_" When he hefted her over his shoulder and set her none too gently on the bed. He pinned her down and Sakura began to struggle.

"What are you doing?! I have to get to work! I'm not even _dressed_."

"Be still and listen to me."

Because it was a command, Sakura's mouth involuntarily snapped shut and her body stilled. She settled for narrowing her eyes at him. Annoyance and amusement danced behind his eyes.

"A messenger dropped off a note from the Hokage this morning. You have a half-day at work today. Report to the hospital at noon. _That_ was why I turned your alarm off."

Sakura flushed. She wondered how she didn't sense a messenger at the door, or even hear a knock of any kind.

Sasuke got off of her and released her from his earlier command. She sat up slowly. Sasuke was getting back into bed.

"Oh…I…um…" She was at a loss for words.

"Hn. Just come back to bed." She laughed, remembering he wasn't such a morning person. The pink haired girl got in the bed again (after putting on a shirt) so her back was to his chest, his breath tickling her neck. She realized absently she was laying on his arm.

"Thanks, Sasuke." And she lightly kissed his bicep. He tensed in surprise, but Sakura didn't say another word about it. He may have the power to command her body, but she held more power than he wanted to believe. With that thought, she sighed contentedly and drifted off to sleep again.

**.**

**.**

Sakura looked at the clock impatiently. She got off in only fifteen minutes, but five o'clock seemed to come at a snail's pace. At her position at the nurse's station, she let out a heavy sigh. She wasn't tired, after all she'd had more sleep than usual last night, she was _bored_. No one was dying, having seizures, or even _coughing_. On a more interesting day, the man with the mental disease from the fourth floor would run around the hospital flashing the staff, but even _he'd _been on his best behavior today.

"Forehead!"

Sakura looked up, thankful for the distraction. She'd been looking at the same line over and over again until her eyes crossed. "Ino-pig? You don't usually come to the hospital unless you have a splinter or something. Did you break a nail and need us to reattach it?"

"Actually, Sakura, I think I might be pregnant."

Sakura, who was leaning back in her chair, toppled over. When she recovered, Ino was hunched over laughing her ass off.

"You pig."

"Ha ha, save it Forehead. What are you doing tonight?"

Sakura blinked. "Nothing. Why?"

"Remember that club we went to a while back? _Eclipse_?" Sakura nodded. "Well the kunoichis are having a get together, and you are cordially invited to get drunk with us and dance until you can't anymore. What do you say?"

Sakura bit her lip. "I'd love to go…I'm just not sure how Sasuke is going to react." But she really did know the answer. A big, fat _no_. He was too possessive, even without their bond, to let her go clubbing with the girls.

Ino smiled deviously. "Don't you worry about Sasuke. I've already taken care of him."

The pink haired girl's eyes widened. "How in the _world_ did you manage that?"

"Oh, I just got some backup." She smiled innocently. "So you're off work now, yes? I'll go back to yours and Sasuke's place to help you pick out some clothes, and then we'll go to my place so I can get dressed, and then we're meeting the rest of the girls across the street from the club."

"Why can't I pick out my own clothes?"

"Because you will make yourself look cute, Sakura. I can make you look _hot_."

Sakura shut up after that.

**.**

**.**

The last thing Sasuke expected when he returned home from training was to find a second chakra signature in his house. Concentrating a bit before jumping to conclusions, he frowned when he detected it was Ino's. He had grown to accept the woman when she'd stopped fangirling him, but she still made him cautious. It seemed as though whenever she was in the vicinity, something devious happened.

He ascended the stairs and opened the door to his room. The two girls were talking in the closet, and the moment he stepped into the room their voices lowered to hushed tones. He narrowed his eyes and sat on the bed, staring at the closed door intensely.

Finally, Ino opened the door and stepped out, closing it before Sasuke could see inside. His eyes narrowed further.

The blonde laughed nervously. "Sasuke! Aren't you getting home a little early?" Truthfully, she had wanted to take Sakura and run, leaving Sasuke in the careful hands of her backup. Her plan would have to be altered a bit.

"I wasn't aware that there was a certain I had to come home."

"Well I guess they misplaced the memo. Mind going down to the store and getting us a few things? We're having a…little get together." _Just leave, damn it!_

"Ino…where's Sakura?"

"She's getting changed." Sasuke stood up and took one step towards the walk-in closet, but Ino bodily blocked him access. "No, sir! I don't care if you're her owner or whatever or not, you are not going to see her change for the sake of fulfilling your perverted fantasies! So back off mister!" Sasuke stepped closer during the woman's tirade in an attempt to intimidate her. Her face was flushed in slight anger, but more in embarrassment, because she could see each of his well-defined muscles rippling through the form-fitting black wife beater he was wearing. Sometimes she envied Sakura…

"Yamanaka. Move."

In feminine irritation, Ino put her hands on her hips. "No."

And suddenly she was standing on the other side of Sasuke. She really forgot how fast he was, but she'd have to dwell on that later because he was _opening the door!_

Sakura, who was about to step out anyway, stopped herself just short before she ran into him. Blushing a little, she looked up at him, holding her breath in anticipation. She wasn't wearing anything _bad_ per se; definitely not as bad as the last time she went to the club anyway. She had on a black satin blouse with capped sleeves that had a neckline that stopped just short of her bellybutton, and under that was a vibrant red camisole. It wasn't low enough to make her feel like a tramp, but it did show a small, tantalizing view of her cleavage. On top of the black shirt, Sakura wore a wide, red belt. She wore the white shorts from her last time at the club, and the pink haired woman hoped he didn't notice that they were almost short enough to be Daisy Dukes. Top that off with closed toed, knee high boots to frame her legs and some jewelry and she was ready to have some fun.

_Was_ being the key word.

The Uchiha lifted an eyebrow in a _you really thought you were going to get away with that? _kind of way. Sakura smiled prettily at him, but his judgment couldn't be wavered.

"I wasn't aware people dressed like this for 'little get together's."

"It's a girl thing." Sakura countered, albeit a bit weakly. She knew he'd been to plenty of clubs before, and he was smart enough that she knew he was starting to catch on to where their 'little get together' was being held. "Besides, nothing is wrong with it!"

Sasuke turned her around and took two steps back so he could see her fully. He was wearing a facial expression of complete triumph. "Oh? Then bend over, Sakura."

Said woman was glad her back was to him, so he didn't see the panic that settled on her face. Sakura and Ino both tensed, which was not missed by the Sharingan user. Because her necklace was settling on her skin—and therefore he had a closer connection to her through the bond—he felt her distress. Sasuke crossed his arms. He would not yield.

Which is the mindset he had to hold onto with all of his strength when she turned the kicked puppy look onto him. "Please, Sasuke?"

"No."

The medic came up and stood right before him, laying her hands on his chest. "But _Sasuke_…" She said his name in a sultry tone of voice, even while pouting.

Sasuke gulped unnoticeably. His hormones were starting to react to her, and from this point of view he had a clear view of her cleavage. On that note, he realized that any man taller than her, which honestly wasn't very hard to accomplish, would be able to see down her shirt. "No."

"Fine then. What do I have to put on for you to let me go out tonight?" She wanted to add _father_ to the end of her sentence, but figured that wouldn't help her case any. She didn't want to submit to him, but he owned her, body, mind, and soul. If he told her to stay home, she would have no choice in the matter, and she really wanted to go out tonight.

"Pants, for starters."

His possession looked at him for a few heartbeats before disappearing back into the closet. A knock resounded on the door downstairs, and Ino offered to answer it. When Sakura reemerged a couple minutes later, she had on dark blue jeans, and had tucked them into her boots. She'd made sure the blouse hid the fact that they were low risers.

"Acceptable?"

"Passable." Sasuke corrected.

Ino came back into the room, a cheerful looking Naruto behind her. "Well this was all really fun but we have to go now or we're going to be late so bye." And with that rush of words the blonde grabbed her best friend and raced out of the house before Sasuke could get a word in edgewise. Naruto smiled at him.

"What are you doing here, dobe?"

"I'm here so that Sakura can have her fun tonight, you party pooper. Basically, I'm babysitting you." He clapped his hands twice. "Now get cleaned up teme, we're having a guy's night out."

Sasuke inwardly groaned.

Meanwhile, Ino and Sakura both took calming breaths once they were out of the Uchiha compound. Ino fanned herself.

"I don't know how you stand it, Sakura."

"Stand what?"

"What?! _That! _I wasn't even _part_ of the conversation and I'm all hot and bothered!"

Sakura blushed. "He's not always like that."

"Are you kidding me? Just being around him is enough!"

And Sakura knew her best friend was right on the dot. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and not from their quick escape either. She didn't want to say it out loud, but she was unquestionably turned on. And he hadn't really touched her! Sakura shivered.

**.**

**.**

"Sakura! Ino! You look fantastic!" Tenten's voice called to them from down the street, where the other kunoichis were gathered.

"Thanks. You don't look bad yourself." Ino commented.

And it was true. Tenten was in a pair of straight legged blue jeans with metallic silver flats. She was wearing her usual Chinese style top, but it was a deep blue with metallic silver plum blossoms patterned onto it. She, like most of them, was missing her forehead protector.

"Okay, now that Hinata has arrived, we're ready to go."

More than a few surprised glances turned in the direction of the Hyuuga heiress. They knew how protective her entire family was, and they would never let her…

"Sneaking out Hinata?" Tenten asked, amused.

"You're not going to tell Neji…are you?" The younger girl asked.

"Heck no! I'm so proud of you! Besides, Neji needs to be taught not to be so uptight all the time."

The Hyuuga girl visibly relaxed as they walked across the street and straight into the club. Sakura was surprised that they didn't have to wait in line, but apparently Anko had "connections." No one really wanted to know what those connections were, so they just left the subject alone.

The first place they went was the dance floor. Sakura found that she actually liked the cage better, because it wasn't so crowded, but it was occupied. People were gyrating against her, and often times they would interrupt her dancing. Finally, she decided to take a break and get a drink. Unlike her teacher, Sakura could hold her liquor moderately well, and it was because of Tsunade that she didn't want sake tonight. She wanted something strong.

After a few fruity drinks, a few cocktails, and a few shots, Sakura found that her dancing became less awkward. People were still surrounding her, but she didn't find it as bad anymore. The few men that dared dance with her, considering her reputation, she pushed away. This was _her_ night tonight. And besides, she had a man waiting at home for her that was way finer than any of these losers.

Before they had left Ino's, the blonde had styled her hair a little, despite Sakura's protests. But now, the pink mane had come free of the bobby pins and clips holding it together and it looked _wild_. Her lip gloss had worn off, and in the back of her drink-addled head she was grateful that she had put on waterproof mascara.

A slower song came on and Sakura, not caring a bit for slow things, headed up to the balcony. She breathed a sigh of fresh air and sat down at the bar. Some sort of orange fruity drink was placed in front of her, which wasn't at all what Sakura was in the mood for. When asked, the bartender simply said it was from someone at the end of the bar. She looked down to see a brunette, who clearly thought he was God's gift to women, wink at her. Sakura smiled flirtatiously and took a sip anyways.

Sakura wrinkled her nose. That drink was _nasty_! She turned towards the bartender and ordered something stronger.

"I never would have taken you for a person that likes the stronger stuff." The man came and stood a little too close behind her.

"That's because you only looked at my hair." She saw him smirk at her. He knew she was well on her way to getting drunk, and he thought she was going to be easy.

"Oh believe me, I looked at _a lot_ more than that." His eyes were lecherous. "My name is—"

"I don't care, you're ruining my evening. Now get lost before I kick your ass." Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw the bartender smirked, clearly remembering her last visit.

"Excuse me?"

"I'd take her word for it." The bartender said. "She could wipe the floor clean with you."

The brunette scoffed. "I doubt it. I hold the record for weight lifting in all of Fire Country."

The pinkette licked her lips. "Is that a challenge?"

The brunette, in a show of male ego, looked haughty and confident. "Yeah, that's a…"

"I wouldn't if I were you." A gloved hand was placed on the man's shoulder. "Even though she's drunk, you'd lose…badly."

Sakura caught a glimpse of the new man in the conversation. She pouted. "Kakashi-sensei, you're ruining all of my fun."

"You're not causing any trouble, are you?"

"Nope!"

The white haired man raised an eyebrow. "How many drinks have you had, Sakura?"

The pink haired woman paused for a couple of beats and looked skyward. "Umm…"

"Well I think that answers my question." Kakashi said. "Sasuke sent me to check on you, by the way."

Sakura looked horrified. "You're not going to tell him I'm drunk, are you Kaka-sensei?"

"I think he'll find out eventually." He said with a nervous laugh. Once Sakura started to tear up though, he quickly remedied with, "But no, I won't tell him."

Sakura leapt out of her seat to hug her sensei. "You're the best, Kaka-sensei!"

"Well of course. But I should get back, Sasuke's probably having a hissy fit. And if you do get in a competition, go easy on him, okay?"

Sakura mock saluted, and Kakashi disappeared.

**.**

**.**

Sasuke knew something was going on when he felt the first little shock. It wasn't anything big, just a sudden awareness that his possession was doing something she wasn't supposed to. Naruto told him to just ignore it, she was having fun and of course she was going to get in a little mischief. She was out with the girls, after all.

The Uchiha didn't really know what "out with the girls" entailed, and he didn't think he wanted to.

Naruto's idea of a "guys night out" was going to the local bar. Which, Sasuke had to admit, was better than having a lot of male shinobi crowding the bar at Ichiraku. He was actually surprised at the number of shinobi that had shown up. It was more than the Rookie Nine and Gai's team, but there were more than a few Jounin and ANBU level ninja that he didn't recognize. Since he didn't feel much like socializing, he sat at the bar next to Kakashi and Shikamaru. As soon as he ordered a strong drink (he almost never got drunk) he felt the second shock.

After that, the shocks came a little more frequently. He wondered what she could possibly be doing that would break so many of the rules. He was only comforted by the fact that it wasn't anything big. If she actually went over the line, like kissing someone, she'd get a huge shock and he'd know instantly. Truthfully, he didn't like that she could be hurt in any way, but there was no helping it. It was possibly the nicest form of punishment he could have given her. The man who cast the spell said that once a man tried to be nice and punish acts of rebellion through tickling. While it seemed a good idea at the time, it was proven wrong by the fact the woman died because she couldn't breathe. Besides with the Chidori and all, a little electricity felt the most natural to him, something that would connect them on a more…personal level.

He stood up and was about to teleport to her location, wherever that was, when Naruto jumped on his back and broke his concentration.

"Dobe, what the hell?"

"Nope, you're not bothering Sakura-chan!"

"Get off of me."

"I made Ino a promise that you wouldn't drag Sakura-chan away from the fun…and you know I always keep my word." But being Sasuke's best friend, only Naruto saw the slight worry that was behind all of the anger. "Kakashi-sensei will go check on her!"

"Oh I will, will I?" Kakashi crossed his arms and faced his former student. "And what makes you think that?"

Naruto gave him a flat look. "I can get you a signed, special-edition copy of the next _Icha Icha_ novel for _free_."

And Kakashi was gone instantly.

"Dobe, get off me."

"Oh right, sorry." And the blond sat himself in Kakashi's vacated seat. "I'm sure she's fine, by the way."

"Hn."

A few minutes passed by and Naruto left to challenge Lee to something that thankfully _wasn't _a drinking contest. Kakashi came back and Sasuke looked at him expectantly.

"She's perfectly fine, Sasuke." _A little…okay _way _drunk, but perfectly fine._

"And the shocks I keep feeling?"

"Just some guys getting a little cocky." He saw Sasuke's eye twitch.

He felt another shock. "Kakashi…just how many laws is she breaking?"

The Jounin laughed nervously. "Don't be silly! She's being a perfect _angel_."

**.**

**.**

"You little bitch!"

"Well mister potty mouth, you challenged me so you can't complain!"

"This'll show you. Put on two hundred pounds!"

After Kakashi left, the challenge began. Somewhere they had found a barbell and a bunch of weights. The man was so eager to prove his manhood that he started out with seventy pounds and did a few reps. The crowd that had gathered around them, including some very amused, snickering kunoichi, cheered. Sakura casually plucked the whole bar up in one hand.

"I thought you were actually going to challenge me, mister weightlifting champion." She giggled.

"You little bitch!"

Which led to the brunette lying on the ground doing about ten reps with the two hundred pounds. The girls in the audience swooned at the sight of his bare chest. _Sasuke's abs are better_, Sakura thought.

The two men who were loading weights for the competitors looked at the pink haired woman. "How much weight do you want on here, girlie?"

Sakura was deep in thought for a moment with a gentle, "Hmm…" And she clapped her hands together and gave a huge smile. "All of them!"

"Uh…you sure?"

"Yep yep!"

The brunette scowled. "Oh just do it and let her make an idiot of herself."

Ino came up to Sakura. "Are you drunk?" Even though Ino was beginning to slur herself.

"Yep!"

"Go Sakura! Woooo!!" Anko screamed from the sidelines. "Kick his ass!"

Sakura giggled again and walked up to the barbell. "How much is on here?"

"Five hundred pounds."

"That's _all_?! You guys are cheap!" And then she picked it up in one hand. "Hey sexy bartender-man! Can I get one of those drinks with an umbrella?"

Ino, who was supposed to be her best friend, said, "No. Sasuke's going to –hic- kill me!"

"You're probably right, Ino-pig! Sasuke's been wanting to do that for _years_!"

**.**

**.**

Sasuke sat on his bed, exhausted. Most of the guys had gotten drunk, and they were finally kicked out when Lee gave into temptation and drank a glass of whiskey, going on a complete rampage. Sasuke was one of the few sober ones, and dragged his teammate home. Naruto was a _talkative_ drunk. He kept saying things like:

"I'm so going to be Hokage one day!"

"Old hag won't give me harder missions…"

"Isn't Hinata-chan pretty?"

"Sakura-chan…bad-ass punch…"

"Teme! You wanna fight?!"

And so on and so forth. He finally dropped Naruto at his apartment, his arms kind of sore from the muscle that the other boy possessed. It would have been another matter if Naruto agreed to walk beside him, but the dumb idiot just sat down and refused to go anywhere…so he had been dragged.

The blond was going to have some serious road burn in the morning.

…Usuratonkachi…

He lowered his head and massaged his scalp a little. He was starting to get a headache from drunken idiots acting like a bunch of—

"_Sa-su-ke-kun_."

The Sharingan wielder's head snapped up at the sound of his name. His eyes widened when he saw Sakura leaning sexily against the doorframe, but they had been wide ever since she said his name like…_that_.

"Sakura?" He tried to read her emotions through their bond, but he came across fuzz. "How many…"

He was interrupted when Sakura came over and straddled his waist. Since she didn't really have anything except her knees to support her weight, he had to hold her to ensure she didn't topple backwards onto the floor.

"Sasuke-kun…" She said breathlessly, sliding her hands under his shirt and over his toned abs.

"Sakura…are you drunk?"

She gasped dramatically. "Did Kaka-sensei tell you?" Her tone was completely innocent. "He told me he wouldn't."

_I'm going to kill that perverted sensei. _"No, he didn't tell me."

"Oh that's good." Her hands slid further up his chest. "Sasuke-kun, have I ever told you how hot you are?"

"Not…today."

"Well then, Uchiha Sasuke, maybe I just need to tell you."

"I really don't think…"

Her eyes darkened. "Oh you're right, I should _show_ you instead." And she planted her lips firmly on his, moving her mouth feverishly.

Sasuke's eyes were wide, especially when he felt her tongue tap his lips, wanting to gain interest. Dark, onyx eyes flashed red and he opened his mouth for her. When she moaned in delight, he lost all self control. He pulled her closer to him, tilting her neck back so that he could gain dominance over their kiss. Sakura was surprised, but not entirely in a bad way.

His hands moved up her spinal column, pressing on all the little pressure points he knew too well. She mewled and whimpered against his lips, breaking away slightly for air.

"Sasuke…" she groaned.

Instead of pausing to catch his breath, he moved down to her neck, nipping occasionally at her soft skin. She tried to work it in that she could get his shirt off, but Sasuke growled against her clavicle, not liking that she was trying to dominate.

The pink haired woman shivered. "Oh right, me first." She then proceeded to take off her _own _shirt, throwing even the red undershirt to the ground beside the bed. The next thing to fall was the red belt. Sakura blushed as he now saw what she had been wearing _underneath_.

The Uchiha gave a slow smirk in masculine appreciation, running his fingers in a slow circle at the small of her back. "Red lace? I didn't think you were that kind of girl, _Sakura_."

And he watched before him as the wantonness was replaced with timidity. "I-Ino said you would appreciate it." Although at the time, Sakura hadn't counted on him actually seeing her bra…or the matching underwear. When she was sober, she'd have to definitely thank Ino.

Sasuke grabbed her wrists, running her hands up his sides, making her grab his shirt and taking it off of him. Satisfyingly, her breathing quickened and from the pulse in her wrist he could tell her heart rate was going sky high. She still looked a little timid though because of her nakedness, going through the rapid mood swings as inebriated people are ought to do. The dark haired man brought her wrist to his mouth and kissed the inside of it, his eyes never leaving hers. Making his way up her arm, Sasuke was so bold as to nip the tops of her breasts before proceeding upwards to her neck and then kissing her full on the mouth again. He noticed she was wiggling, and realized through the touch of his hands to her bare thighs that she'd gotten out of her pants. With the swell of a sudden male admiration for the woman before him, the Sharingan master flipped their positions so he was hovering over her on the bed.

And without warning, his mind conjured up a memory of another time that they had been in this position, when she first found out it was him that bought her.

"_Get off, jerk."_

"Damn it!" He cursed, lowering his head. She was drunk! Sakura wouldn't want to not remember her first time. He knew she was a virgin, and thinking about that made him clench his hands in the sheets. She was going to kill him in the morning!

_But I own her! I have every right to take her! _The counter argument reverberated in his head.

_I bought her trying to save her! This is no better than what Cain would have done to her!_

"Sasuke?" Her voice sounded so…innocent. "Aren't you going to…?"

There was a few moments pause where Sasuke reigned in his hormones. "No, Sakura."

He looked into her eyes and noticed for the first time that they were glazed over from the effects of the alcohol. He still had the aftertaste on his tongue. Those emerald irises were currently flooded with hurt. "Sasuke, _please_! I want you so bad! I _need_ you!"

"I know."

The intoxicated woman tried to pull his head down so she could seal her lips with his, but the man proved to be immovable. She started to thrash around in pained anger.

"Sakura, be still."

Her body stilled on command, and she was looking dead in his eyes when the first tears started to fall. He wiped them away with the pad of his thumb.

"Don't cry." He said gently. "We'll deal with this tomorrow, when you're sober."

Her tear ducts closed at his command, but she still sobbed and sniffled.

"You don't even care about me." Her voice was deceptively soft, and Sasuke's body stilled as something with the intensity of living fire rushed through him. "You don't want me. You probably just have me here because I'm fun to keep around or something."

She took a breath to say more, but he grabbed her chin, eyes bleeding red.

"No, I'm not going to take advantage of you in the state you're in. And don't you _ever_ think that I don't want or care about you, Haruno Sakura, because no matter what happens…"

He bent down to growl his next words in her ear.

"You're **mine**."

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes:** So I know you all want to kill me, but cliffhangers are just so much fun, no? Thanks for waiting patiently, even though I know most of you are encouraging me while actually steaming out of your ears for my long absence. Sorry about that (again), but hey! Happy Summer Break people! Besides, do you see all the overprotectiveness and romance I squished into this chapter! I think that should more than make up for my tardiness! Although I must say I didn't enjoy the middle part of this chapter as much, the club scene, because it felt like I was writing the "I've Got No Strings" chapter again. But hey, it all worked out in the end! (I think I was drooling all over the keyboard while writing the last part) Anyway, for those of you who actually read _Dear Annie_, the next chapter should come up pretty quickly because I already know what I want to happen, but don't make any bets on how soon I'll update. As always, it's a tossup, and as always, I appreciate any comments or questions, so review people and tell me what you think.


	14. I Wonder

**Author's Notes:** Wow, so I just realized that with this chapter I'll probably break 2,000 reviews! That's incredible! Thank you to everyone. Oh, and in case you don't normally look at my profile, I've uploaded a new story called _Catch 22_. It's basically a feminist story, because Sakura honestly doesn't get much credit. It's going to be a pretty awesome story, so go check it out.

**Important!!!: **I now have a NotifyList account, which will let me tell you whenever I post something new or update. The link can be found on my profile, but I will also give it to you here: http:// jan-eclipses. notifylist. com/ . Read the author's notes at the bottom for more information. Because trust me, you're _really_ going to want the notifications.

**Title Reference for Chapter Fourteen: **"I Wonder" from _Sleeping Beauty_

_._

_.  
_

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 14: I Wonder

_._

_.  
_

Sakura awoke feeling rather…odd. She was comfortable, sure, but it was a different feeling than she normally woke up with. She was used to the weight of Sasuke's arm around her, that much hadn't changed, and she could feel his steady breathing against her hair. She seemed to have made a habit of waking up before he did.

Her head was beginning to throb, punishing her for the night before. She remembered sitting down at the bar and some idiot trying to…what was he trying to do again? After that, her memories had been sucked out of her. Sakura's alcohol tolerance was considerably better than her mentor's, but all it took was a few shots and her vision got fuzzy. It was kind of unnerving, not being able to remember anything.

Come to think of it, now that she was trying not to concentrate on the jackhammer in her head, the sensation she felt off was _touch_. She could feel more of the cotton bed sheets than normal. Not to mention she felt Sasuke's skin against her own. Uh oh. Not good, not good, not good. She hesitantly opened her eyes, the world spinning even though she was lying down. She took a few deep breaths and lifted the sheets off of her body.

What she saw made her want to scream.

So scream she did.

In fact, she jumped out of bed, dragging the comforter with her to hold to her chest. The quick movements weren't a good idea, because she had to hold onto the wall for balance and fight the urge to vomit. Sasuke was sitting up in bed, kunai in hand. When those onyx eyes saw her, he lowered the weapon but raised his eyebrows.

"_You…_" Sakura growled at him. She was finding it difficult to keep her voice from shaking in anger. "You pig!"

Sasuke began to stand up, and Sakura had to remember to stay mad at him once she saw the chorded muscles in his back rippling. Why was she mad again? Oh yeah…

"Sakura…"

"Don't even start to make excuses! I can't believe you!"

He was walking over to her now, hair tousled from sleep and his eyes smoldering. "Sakura…"

"Don't you "Sakura" me you—"

"Would it make a difference to tell you that I never touched you?"

"Oh?" Sakura asked him incredulously. "Then tell me why I woke up this morning in nothing but my underwear."

"You undressed yourself."

Pink eyebrows furrowed. "That's silly. I would never…"

"You were also _very _drunk." One eyebrow was raised in amusement. "Don't tell me you don't remember anything."

Sakura realized with a slight sense of horror that if Sasuke was telling the truth, there was no telling what else she might have done. She couldn't remember a thing! "What else was there?!" Sakura asked in hysterics.

The amusement still danced in Sasuke's eyes. "If you can't remember then I'm not going to tell you."

"Sasuke!"

He placed a hand on the wall by her ear and leaned in. "But it's really a shame you don't remember. You were very…" he dropped his voice an octave. "…_entertaining_ last night."

Sakura froze, eyes as wide as saucers. "What…did I do?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not telling." Partly because if she knew exactly what she'd done last night, she would murder him in the most gruesome way known to man. No…his lips were staying shut.

"Sasuke!" When said man refused to give her an answer, Sakura tried a different approach. She licked her lips and turned pleading eyes onto him. "Please, _Sa-su-ke-kun_?"

The kicked puppy look had the opposite desired effect. The shinobi's whole body tensed and he snapped her a stern look.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything?"

Sakura swallowed hard at the intensity in his gaze. "Positive." They really needed to make this man an interrogator, he could get you to tell him anything with a single look.

He narrowed his eyes at her, evaluating her response, then he backed off. Sasuke disappeared into the bathroom while Sakura collected her wits against the wall. What exactly had she done last night?! Surely it wasn't the question, he'd only reacted towards the way she'd said his name. Okay, so she doubted that she'd said his name in a sultry sort of voice. She'd probably added the suffix to his name in her stupor. That was it. That had to be it.

Right?

_._

_.  
_

After her shower—throughout all of which she had contemplated the enigma that was Sasuke—she knew she was going to have to ask him for a favor. True, she loved how her necklace looked on her neck, even though she hated what it stood for. Her owner had made sure to get a chain long enough to fit around her neck comfortably, but short enough that it didn't get in the way of sparring or healing. She actually liked the pendant on it very much. He had good taste. A few years ago, she had no doubt he would make her wear a ridiculous sign around her neck saying _Property of Uchiha Sasuke_.

While she loved the necklace, she also wanted it off very badly. Sakura missed the feel of having a bare neck, and it was time to put the small necklace to rest for a while.

She walked downstairs and saw Sasuke sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. The smell of the coffee almost made her sick, since she still had a slight hangover from last night, but she quelled it with a few threads of charka sent to her head.

"Hey Sasuke?" She hoped he didn't notice the nervousness in her voice. Truth was, she had no idea how he was going to react to her request. Sasuke was known to be possessive. He regarded her curiously as he lifted his eyes. "I was wondering—if you wouldn't mind—taking the necklace off. I mean, I love how it looks and everything, and it still doesn't change the fact that I belong to you, I just would like some time apart from it." Oh dear, she was babbling. "I really appreciate how tasteful it is and everything—"

"Sakura."

Said girl stopped her rant and looked to see he was beckoning her closer with two fingers. She kneeled down beside him.

Unexpectedly, he twisted his body and brought himself very close to her, his arms snaking around her neck. She could smell him clearly, since her head was sitting in the crook of his neck. Her body tensed, unsure. She felt his breath against her hair. His hair tickling her cheek. Felt his hands brushing her neck. In fact, she wouldn't mind those hands, well, everywhere. The thought of him holding her, sliding his hands across her back, her fisting her hands in his hair, his lips brushing against her collarbone…

The necklace slid off her neck.

Sakura blinked once, slightly dazed. The man before her redid the clasp and placed it back into her hand. Her head was fuzzy from the sensations, and she was sure she was blushing. Sasuke asked her if she was okay.

"I'm fine." She said a little quickly. "Just a little dizzy from the hangover. Just gonna go grab some aspirin." And with that, Sakura high-tailed it out of the kitchen.

She was out the door before she could see Sasuke smirk devilishly behind her.

_._

_.  
_

Thanks to an emergency summons, Sakura was now stuck at the hospital for the day. Outside, she accepted this, as she was one of the best medics Konoha had to offer. Inside, she despaired. Her once clean scrubs were covered in blood, and the shinobi she was operating on thought she was an enemy and kicked her square in the ribs. She hadn't been able to dodge in time because he would have died if she'd stopped healing him.

Thankfully, one of the other nurses offered her a spare change of clothes, dark blue scrubs with a white lining. They were a little tight due to her muscular frame, but they would suffice until she made it home.

Sakura paused on the way to the nurse's station. When had she started calling Sasuke's house "home"? It wasn't really her home, was it? Her home was an apartment across town which was slowly gathering dust. In fact, why hadn't she moved back to her apartment? Sasuke probably wouldn't mind, especially since he didn't really want to be her owner in the first place. Legally, she belonged to him. Practically, however, she was her own person.

For a moment, Sakura thought about going home—to her actual apartment. The thought itself seemed…lonely. Even though most mornings she woke up and Sasuke had already left, she still felt safer having him there during the night. For the last month, she'd been significantly more rested since she didn't have to keep up all of her defenses while she slept. Although this was probably a bad thing. One solo mission where she was attacked in the middle of the night and it would all be over.

Sitting down at the nurse's station to fill out paperwork, Sakura then thought about selling her apartment, since it was sucking her finances and she wasn't even using it. But she didn't want to do that either. Having her own apartment represented her independence. She'd worked herself to the bone to afford that apartment. So in essence, she was stuck.

And speaking of living situations, what did Sasuke expect of her now that she knew? Cain was locked away somewhere and was no longer a threat to her. Sasuke had no reason to protect her as he did before. Would he expect her to move out? She'd already told him to take the necklace off. Maybe he thought that she was done belonging to him. Oh, this was a pickle!

Someone cleared their throat.

Green eyes looked up to meet onyx. While Sakura's eyes were wide, and as a result Sasuke's eyes danced in amusement, like he knew he'd caught her in the middle of a fantasy. And while imagining his body being so close to hers taking off her necklace wasn't exactly a fantasy, it was close enough that she was daydreaming about it. She furrowed her eyebrows. Sasuke was too sneaky for his own good.

"Hey." Sakura greeted, noting how dashing he looked in Jounin uniform. Most of the women were drooling, both married and single. "I don't usually see you around here."

"The Hokage asked me to drop this off." He handed her a paper bag over the small counter, stapled at the top and a little folded note attached to the side.

"You're her messenger now?" Sakura asked amusedly.

"Hardly." And then under his breath he called her a "sadistic hag", which was a phrase that he would deny under oath that he ever said.

"Well thanks for the package anyway, it's probably some herbs we've been needing." She thought of something. "Oh! And I'll probably be home kind of late. All this paperwork."

Sasuke nodded. Then, in proper Uchiha fashion, he made the seals to transport out of the hospital. Sakura unfolded the note.

_Sakura,_

_STOP UCHIHA FROM LEAVING!!!_

"Stop!" Sakura barked. The whole area froze in their tracks and looked at her. Sasuke froze as well, and she felt lucky she'd just barely managed to stop him from leaving. He looked at her curiously, but she could tell he was slightly antsy. Since she had no clue why she was stopping him, she read on.

_The little brat probably conveniently forgot to mention that he is overdue for his annual physical._

"Physical?" Sakura said to no one in particular. She glanced at Sasuke and saw his facial muscles constricted in an emotion she could only call "repressed horror."

_Since you are the only medic he can't con out of doing his physical—not to mention the only one who won't drool on him the entire time—you are to do his physical. Please do it as soon as possible, as I need him for a mission but I can't send him on one until he's deemed perfectly healthy. Council's idea, not mine. _

_I appreciate you doing this for me, especially on your day off. I'm working on a pay-raise for you as we speak. And to make Uchiha's examination more entertaining, I've included some things in the bag. _

_Have fun._

_Tsunade_

And next to the woman's signature there was a winking smiley face.

Hesitantly, Sakura opened the bag and looked inside. As she suspected, her herbs were there, sitting in bags that were waiting to be labeled with the herb's properties. But the paper bag felt oddly heavy to contain only a bunch of plants. Sakura dug around to the bottom, and her heart stopped when her hand gripped an aluminum can. She fearfully looked down to find herself holding a can of whipped cream. And she'd rifled around in the bag so much that she'd exposed several condoms that had been sitting on the bottom of the bag.

Sakura felt herself go beet red. She scurried to drop everything and close the bag, thankful that she'd been sitting at an angle where Sasuke couldn't see anything. She was going to take her herbs and bury the rest. Sasuke was regarding her curiously.

"S-So," She cleared her throat. "I'll be doing your physical." She called a nurse over. "Take him to Examination Room Four, I'll be in there after I get his file."

Sakura gripped the bag so hard her knuckles turned white as she walked away. She walked into the staff room and threw the bag in her locker. She was going to dispose of it better when she had more time. If she took too long to start the examination, Sasuke would disappear on her. Literally.

Walking back into the nurse's station, Sakura grabbed his file on the way. It was thick, but then again shinobi's files usually were. Although getting them to actually come into the hospital voluntarily was another story. Shinobi would get stabbed by everything from kunai to swords to poisoned senbon and be fine, but show them a needle and they would disappear on you faster than you could say, "Roll up your sleeve."

Sakura was slightly surprised to see Sasuke in the examination room. He was more squirrely of hospitals than any shinobi she knew. This wasn't really surprising considering he'd woken up in a hospital bed after the Massacre. Honestly, she didn't blame him.

Emerald eyes scanned over his chart, looking at the last time he'd had his immunization shots. Uh-oh. He needed two today.

But she'd start with the easy stuff first. She had him take off his shoes and took his height and weight. His height was still the same (impossibly tall) but he'd gained two pounds since last year. When Sasuke heard this news, Sakura had to tell him, "it's all muscle anyway, stop being such a girl."

Naturally he'd glared at her.

He sat back down on the paper-covered bed, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

Sakura was filling in his chart, in professional mode. "Alright, take off your shirt." When she heard no rustling of clothes, Sakura looked at the grumpy man on the bed. "Sasuke, don't make this hard. Off with the shirt."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because is not an answer!" Sakura blew her bags out of her face. "The sooner you do, the sooner this physical is over with. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Hn."

"Which is also not an answer. I'm not going to grope you or anything." And then she added under her breath, "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

Sasuke looked torn for a minute, and then he smirked unexpectedly, predatorily.

Sakura's muscles locked down as her fight-or-flight response took over. She had a _bad_ feeling about this.

Sasuke shrugged out of his Jounin vest. His arms crossed and he grabbed the hemline of his shirt, slowly bringing it above his head. He made sure that all of his muscles rippled as they were exposed. His abs, his chest, his arms.

Sakura felt her mouth go dry. There was no way that was an accident. She'd seen her owner take his shirt off casually before, and that was sexy in and of itself, but when he was actually _trying_? When Sasuke felt like being sexy, women ran from miles away.

In response, Sakura kept her face blank. She wouldn't let Sasuke know that he was getting to her, even though he was in a huge way. She had butterflies in her stomach, she was sure that breathing was getting more difficult, and her knees felt like Jell-O. But she wasn't one of the best kunoichi for nothing. She wouldn't let him know any of that.

Sakura put her stethoscope in her ears and lifted it to his heart, placing it on his chest muscles, knowing immediately what was going to happen. She saw a pectoral tighten due to the cold metal. Sakura looked up at him innocently.

"Cold?"

"Hn."

A wicked smile broke across Sakura's face. Green locked with black as she brought the cold metal to her mouth. Sakura pouted her lips a little before blowing hot air across the metal Even though Sasuke's eyes were fathomless, she barely managed to make out his pupils dilating. The medic put the metal back over his heart.

"Better?"

"Much," Sasuke said, sounding a little tense. He had his eyes closed.

Sakura moved around him so that she could put the stethoscope on his back. "Okay," she said. "I need you to take a few deep breaths like this." The breathed in deeply and saw that Sasuke did the same, when she breathed out, she blew moist air on the shell of his ear. Sakura made sure that her fingers ghosted over his back and smirked when he went as tense as steel.

"Something wrong, Sasuke?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked innocently, coming around to look into his eyes. "You seem a little tense."

"Hn." Sasuke's eyes were hooded, and he leaned back against the bed, resting all of his weight on his hands behind him. He looked like he was just waiting for someone to jump his bones. He knew what game she was playing at, and he wouldn't let her win. He'd had more experience with the opposite sex as a twelve-year-old than she had in her whole lifetime. "On second thought," Sasuke began. "I am feeling a little tense. Care to loosen me up, _Sakura_?"

Sakura smiled, determined not to fall for his trap. "I'd be glad to. Turn over and lie down."

He did as instructed, turning over and lying on his stomach on the bed. Sakura ran her hands down his back lightly before returning to his shoulders. She pushed down, kneading at his shoulder blades, feeling beyond the knots to the pure muscle that was hidden beneath skin. Well not hidden, exactly. She could see lean muscles rippling under her touch as she pressed down.

Sasuke let out a long sigh when she was working around his spine, so she pressed down even harder there and was rewarded with a grunt. For Sasuke, a grunt was as good as any moan.

"You're tighter than I thought you'd be."

"Hn." Sasuke drew out that one syllable unintentionally. Opposite his intentions, the tables were turning on him, and Sakura was getting control. As soon as Sakura finished his back, Sasuke abruptly turned over. He noted with a sense of male satisfaction that Sakura went tomato red as she now found her hands resting on his abdomen. "Here, too."

This time, he saw the woman before him swallow heavily. She slowly drew her hands up his chest to have them rest on his shoulders. She leaned in closely, smirking, attempting to gain back the upper hand. "I think you're abusing your doctor."

Sasuke sat up and balanced his weight on one elbow. He laid his free hand at the side of her neck, suddenly wishing that he hadn't taken off her necklace. His thumb traced her jawbone. "Perhaps." Wickedly, he skid his hand down to rest where the necklace's pendant should have been resting—barely below the base of her throat. He could feel her quick heartbeat from the skin-on-skin contact. "Of course, as my doctor, I have to tell you _everything_. Right, _Sakura_?"

The Uchiha smirked devilishly when her grip on his shoulders tightened—a sign he knew meant that her knees went weak.

They were close now, close enough to feel the other's breath on their lips.

"It's not fair," Sakura began with her eyes dilated. "That you can use your control over me like this."

Onyx eyes became amused. "Who said I'm controlling you?"

The pink haired girl's lips parted in sudden knowing and embarrassment. "I—" But thankfully she didn't have to say anymore than that, because a knock on the door suddenly made her remember where she was. Sakura backed up, taking her hands off of her master's shoulders and straightening her clothes. "Enter!"

A young nurse opened the door. "Doct…" Her vocal chords froze at the sight of a half naked Uchiha baring his chest to the world. Sasuke rolled his eyes and reached for his shirt.

"Was there something you needed?" Sakura snapped impatiently.

"I just came to see if there was anything you needed, Doctor, since this examination was taking such a long time." Sakura looked at the clock. Normal examinations took maybe ten minutes. This one was bordering on twenty-five.

"Are you implying that I am incapable of doing my job?"

"No, Doctor, I was…"

"Did it ever occur to you that this exam was taking such a long time because this man goes to different countries, picking up who knows what diseases, to defend all of us in the village?"

"Doctor, I…"

"Don't you have paperwork to do?"

"Yes." The nurse looked relieved to see her way out of the conversation. "I have to go…um…file something. Sorry for disturbing you." And she left, almost slamming the door behind her in her haste.

"Help my ass." Sakura muttered. "Little chit…"

She felt a hand rest on her head, ruffling her hair a little. "Making your subordinates cry, Tsunade-sama would be so proud."

Unintentionally, Sakura turned her anger onto Sasuke. "Your examination wasn't done yet. Sit back down."

Sasuke cocked a black eyebrow, looking intrigued and willing. "Oh? Were we just getting to the good part?"

Sakura smiled. "You need two shots today."

All amusement left the Uchiha survivor's face. "No."

"Yes." Sakura insisted, already prepping the first syringe. "Because let's face it…you go to all these different countries and get all these nasty diseases, and who's going to have to work extra hard to make sure you're back in tip-top shape? Me. So you're going to get this shot _right now_ so I don't have to work so hard later."

It was then Sasuke decided he hated the interrupting nurse. He was having such a lovely time and then the _idiot_ had to go and remind Sakura that he needed his stupid shots.

To his credit, he didn't say "Ow!" or start crying—as Naruto often did. Sasuke took it like a man, only sharply inhaling to show his discomfort and showing no sign of emotion when Sakura stuck the Barbie band-aid on the injection site.

"See that wasn't so bad." She kissed the bandage and looked up at him with steamy eyes. "Was it?"

Sasuke glared at her.

_._

_.  
_

"Okay, Sasuke, so just sign here, here, and here and you're free to go."

Sasuke grumbled something incomprehensible. When he finished signing, he turned his eyes towards her form standing behind the nurse's station. "When are you off work?"

Sakura glanced at the clock. "Oh, probably in another hour or two. I just have to finish some paperwork and should be able to come home if there aren't any emergencies." And then something occurred to her. She'd just called Sasuke's place _home_ again. Was she really getting that used to it? To him?

But whenever she even thought about wanting to move back to her apartment, a feeling of cold emptiness washed through her. She wanted to stay with him, even though they both knew she didn't have to anymore. Cain was out of the picture, and she was safe now. So why did she have this horrible feeling whenever she thought about moving out?

The medic's train of thought was interrupted when a man she knew only too well came running out of a corridor to stand in the middle of the lobby. Sasuke was looking at the man curiously, wondering why Sakura was furiously pressing a red button while rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Oh Lord…" She murmured.

Before Sasuke had a chance to ask, the man opened up his trench coat and flashed everyone in the vicinity. He ran around the lobby with his coat open, scaring mothers and baffling small children. Since he had a mental disease, Sakura didn't hold it against him, she even saw him naked enough times not to care anymore. When she did start caring was when he seemed as though he wanted to give Sasuke a private showing, running towards the ANBU Captain with his ding-dong flopping about, scarring the poor man for life.

Thankfully for Sasuke, who had been scarred enough for multiple lifetimes, the man shut his trench coat and ran down another corridor, trying to escape the recently arrived hospital security.

Sasuke turned back towards Sakura, who was trying to arrange papers to keep her head from thumping repeatedly against the desk. "What the _hell_ was _that_?!"

Sakura shrugged. "You get used to it."

.

.

**Author's Notes: **Ha ha, I just had to add that last part in. Anyway, to make up for my…um…extended absence, I made sure this chapter was _extra juicy_. Oh and in case you didn't see it up top, I now have a NotifyList account, which will let me tell you whenever I post a new chapter or a new story or whatever. The link is (without the spaces): http:// jan-eclipses. notifylist. com/ . The link can also be found on my profile. And another note, you're going to want to sign up to get notifications because I have a one-shot that I plan on posting soon! If you don't have me on author alert or don't have a FanFiction account, sign up to get the notifications. You're really going to want it. (Hint, hint…wink, wink). Oh and if you get bored, I've uploaded a new story called Catch 22, which is _Naruto_ from Sakura's point of view. Right now it's a little boring, since it's just a recap of everything we already know about, but I promise you it's going to get better, especially in the next chapter (which is also going to be uploaded soon!) As always, please review and tell me what you think, and have a very merry Christmas.


	15. Bella Notte

**Author's Notes: **I sincerely apologize for the lack of updating that I've been doing lately. I do, however, want to issue a really big _thank you_ to those who have been patient. (And believe me, I can tell.)

**Title Reference for Chapter Fifteen: **"Bella Notte" from _Lady and the Tramp_

_._

_._

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 15: Bella Notte

_._

_._

There had been an emergency.

Sakura was getting ready to leave when someone told her to come immediately to the operating room. She always hated these emergencies, because they were either civilians or people she knew, and she hated the feeling of anxiety before an emergency operation. Who was it? How hurt were they? Would they live?

These same questions gnawed at her chest as she rushed to the operating room. When she arrived, she was relieved to know that it wasn't anyone that she knew. It was a missing-nin from Rain. She had orders that it was imperative that this man lived, because he knew important things about Konoha's enemies and their whereabouts. Sakura took a hair tie from her pocket and tied her hair up before disappearing inside of the room. She immediately saw the man lying in the center of a large number of medical seals. Sakura grimaced. He was bleeding all over the place. Whoever brought him in really did a number on him.

His head shifted and he looked at her, clearly not sedated. Sakura could see the pain he was in. She imagined his face as he killed numerous people, the square jaw tense, the eyes merciless. She tried to imagine him as the murderer that she knew he was. It didn't help. His face was twisted into such a look of vulnerability that she couldn't help but pity him. His eyes were dull, and the rise and fall of his chest was interrupted by a little hitch that let her know there was probably something broken in that area.

The medic sat down at one end of the circle and performed the necessary seals, mimicking the other doctors sitting around her. Sakura's chakra went out to the man and it was only now that Sakura realized how bad his condition really was. Brain hemorrhages, numerous broken bones, a collapsing lung…and that was only the tip of the iceberg.

He began to scream as she knitted his bones back together.

**.**

**.**

Sakura walked outside the operating room, immediately coming face to face with two council members. Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were some of the worst people to deal with in all of Konoha. Whatever they wanted, they went through great lengths to make sure it was done properly. If they were ever denied something, the consequences were enormous. Tsunade had denied them something once and told Sakura it was like watching two children have temper tantrums right in front of her.

"Haruno." Homura addressed her, looking at her with a stern face. "His condition?"

Sakura shook her head. "There was nothing more we could do."

The two council members immediately stood up straighter. "Are you saying he's dead?"

Sakura nodded. "He suffered from too many wounds. His—"

"He suffered from nothing." Homura told her. "His victims suffered far worse. And now Konoha will suffer since we could not interrogate him."

Sakura felt absolutely affronted, but did not show it. "Then next time bring me an enemy who has not been torn to shreds!" She declared through gritted teeth. She was tired from the healing, and she was getting agitated now. Those were two emotions that, when together, took her straight to her infamous temper.

"I see you require additional medic-nin training." Koharu remarked. "We will have it arranged."

"I do not require any more training!"

"You have put Konoha at risk by allowing this man to die."

"I allowed _nothing_…"

"A full investigation will be carried out on this matter. Until the conclusions are drawn, your employment with the hospital will be temporarily suspended."

Sakura fumed. "This is ridiculous!"

"Be that as it may, you do not have a say in the matter."

The council members both left, and Sakura would have argued further if she wasn't so damn tired. Growling, she retreated to her office and slammed the door behind her. Thankfully, her scrubs were free of blood. Sakura shut off the light and lay down on her couch, deciding to take a quick nap to regain her energy. The last time she had attempted to walk to Sasuke's this tired, she'd been attacked and hadn't been able to defend herself. Plus, she had relied on the necklace to give her SOS message to Sasuke. How was she going to communicate with him now?

What really bothered her was that they were blaming her for the death of an enemy. She'd had patients die on her before, and it was never easy, but when she was actually blamed for it? She'd tried her hardest to keep him alive, enemy or no. She fought her hardest, and listened to him scream and cry and _beg _through the entire operation. It was probably the frustration that was making her eyes water. Or it was perhaps the helplessness that she felt, the uncomfortable sensation of being so emotionally distraught, and being completely alone.

Sakura couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that she had fallen asleep, but she knew the moment she woke up, because all her senses were on high alert. It was the middle of the night, and someone had just opened the door to her office. When people disturbed her in here, it was because there was an emergency, and they always stated that, or at least identified themselves. This man had yet to do so. Ever since she'd started sleeping in the same bed as Sasuke, she hadn't kept a weapon anywhere near her. She'd always relied on Sasuke's lightning fast reflexes to keep her safe while she slept. Now, that proved to be a dangerous habit to develop. She might have enough chakra left for a decent punch.

She was sleeping on her side, so all she saw was the silhouette moving through the room and sitting on the coffee table in front of her. She was about to prepare a good, solid punch when he spoke.

"Sakura?"

She knew that voice even in her dreams.

"Sasuke?" Realizing who it was—_finally_—Sakura rolled over to face the back of the couch, too tired to hold a decent conversation right now. She felt him pull a lock of hair away from her face before lifting her bridal style off the couch. The medic growled a little bit since he was disturbing her. She heard him give a snort of amusement in response.

Since the windows in her office weren't very big, Sasuke was forced to carry her through the florescent-lit hallway. She shielded her eyes by burying her face in his chest, and Sasuke picked up the pace so that he could get her outside again and into the darkness. But by now, Sakura was feeling a little bit more awake, and it felt awkward having Sasuke carry her like this.

"I can walk now." Sakura sighed out.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, hopping smoothly on the nearest rooftop to make it home quicker.

"Hm?"

"Go to sleep."

"Not…fair…" And then with the command, Sakura was out like a light.

**.**

**.**

Too soon, Sakura felt a hand gently nudging her awake. Sakura opened her eyes and found Sasuke's room bathed in the warm colors of dawn. Sasuke himself was hovering over her, shirtless as usual.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"Work?"

A flash of panic went through the medic for a moment, because if the sun was already this high it meant she was going to be late for work. As soon as her brain woke up, however, she remembered the events of last night. Her eyes felt like they were going to tear up, so she blinked rapidly a few times so Sasuke wouldn't see.

"I…" She bit her lip. How was she going to put this into words? "…I don't have to work."

"Day off?" Sasuke asked, lying on his side on the mattress, head propped up on one arm.

"No…I've been suspended until further notice."

There was a moment of tense silence.

"_What?_" He hissed out. Since she was laying right next to him, she could feel him tense up. Sasuke was downright _pissed_.

"…An important patient died last night." Sakura said, not looking at her owner. "He died while we were operating on him."

"How important?"

"A missing-nin with information about threats to Konoha." He was _very _important. With that kind of information, fewer lives would be lost. Ninja wouldn't have to go on dangerous missions to receive the same information that could have been given during a simple interrogation. Maybe if she had worked a little harder. Should she have worked on a different organ first? Was there something she missed?

A finger nudged her chin to the side until she was looking at Sasuke straight in the face. His calm eyes gazed into her troubled ones. "Sakura…it's not your fault."

The woman felt the tears threatening to fall and sat up abruptly, swinging her legs over the side of the bed so that Sasuke wouldn't see her. "Thank you for waking me." She said tensely. "I need to go talk to Tsunade-sama anyway."

Sakura stood up and walked into the bathroom, making sure that the door was locked before turning on the shower. She managed to keep her tears from falling until she was standing under the warm stream of the water, and then the dam broke. Sakura had to bite her hand to keep the sobs from becoming audible. Losing a patient always made her feel worthless. All that training and all that studying for nothing. Feeling someone die beneath her fingertips, even as she called out for them, told them to hold on for just another minute and everything would be okay. She now understood why Tsunade drank so much.

Losing a patient was bad, but being blamed for their death was so much worse.

**.**

**.**

Sakura could hear the screaming from Tsunade's office all the way down the hall. She heard her mentor yelling, while a quieter voice responded, and then more yelling. The medic stood in front of the door, debating whether to come back at a better time, when she heard the Godaime call for her.

"Sakura! Get in here!"

Said woman opened the door and saw Koharu and Homura standing in front of Tsunade's desk. Tsunade herself was standing, with both her palms placed flat on her desk. She looked furious. The two council members, looked a little agitated and slightly annoyed.

"Sakura, a missing-nin was brought in for treatment last night, yes?" Tsunade asked.

"Hokage-sama," Koharu said. "Such an informal proceeding undermines this issue. Such information should only be revealed formally."

"What was this man's condition?" The blonde asked, ignoring the older woman.

"He was…" Sakura tried to find the right words. "There were too many severe injuries. Neither I nor the other medics could fix everything before he…died."

"This man had important information that would have aided in Konoha's defense." Homura said. "Killing him is putting Konoha lives at risk."

Sakura snapped her head over to the older man, opening her mouth to say something crude when Tsunade snapped out her name, stilling her instantly. The pink haired woman heard her teeth snap together as she tried to reign in her anger. It didn't work, so the next thing she clenched was her fists.

"I will wait for the official report, just to prove you two wrong." Tsunade said, easing back down into her chair, looking smug at the chance to piss off the council. "There will be a formal proceeding, but only because I'd never hear the end of it otherwise. I'm telling you now that I'm taking Sakura's side, and I'm sure there are six other medics that are willing to come to her defense. Now you two—" She motioned to the elders. "—please leave." Neither gray haired council member looked happy, but they left nonetheless. Tsunade sighed. "Don't worry Sakura, they're just bored lately. They'll do anything to find some sort of conspiracy."

"Tsunade-sama…I promise you that we did everything we could."

"I know. For now though, take a little break from work. Rest a little. They will be looking for anything to pin on you, so don't give them any ammo."

Sakura nodded. "I will. Sleeping in for a change was kind of nice, anyway."

Tsunade's mouth twitched upwards in a lecherous smile. "I'll bet it was."

"_Tsunade-sama!_" Sakura exclaimed, red brushing across her face.

"Although while we're on that subject, you need to be thanking that boy."

Sakura was confused. "Sasuke? Why?"

"How do you think I found out about your suspension?"

The pink haired woman opened and closed her mouth for several moments. The house had been empty when she'd gotten out of the shower, but that wasn't unusual. Sakura just figured that he'd left to go train or something.

Tsunade laughed. "He busted in here, red eyed and furious, demanding to know why you were in trouble. Let me guess, pillow talk?" She asked, her hazel eyes sparkling mischievously.

"It was nothing like that." Sakura said, still beet red in the face.

The Hokage grinned an _I know you're lying to me_ smile. Sakura, thankfully, was then dismissed, with strict orders to take it easy for a few days and not to go anywhere near the hospital. It was only when she exited the Hokage Tower that Sakura was able to breathe normally. Her heart was fluttering faster than usual, and she had no idea why.

Since Sakura had nothing to do, she decided to do a little window shopping around town. She had been looking in on a dress when Ino found her and invited her to brunch. Sakura protested against all forms of ramen, so instead they retreated to a small café, sitting in a booth in the back. Sakura wanted to have a girl talk, and she wouldn't be able to do that with anyone listening.

Sakura told the blonde everything. She revealed why Sasuke bought her and that she was a little self-conscious now. Sakura decided to leave out the tale of Sasuke's physical, since she would most likely be the victim of Ino's jealous rampage or the victim of the blonde's teasing. She even told Ino about her recent suspension, and how mad Sasuke had been.

"I noticed your necklace was gone. Did he take it off of you once you found out?"

"No, it was a few days later. I asked for him to take it off." And recalling the way he'd taken it off had made her shudder. "But the real problem is that I don't know how to tell him I'm moving out."

There was silence for a moment. Ino sat perfectly still, taking in this new information. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard that right. I thought you just told me that you were about to move out of a sex god's house."

"I _did_ just tell you that."

"But why, you crazy girl? You get to sleep next to him every night!"

Several patrons turned their heads and looked at the blonde. Sakura had to shush her. "That's the problem! Before I knew why he bought me, I had to sleep with him because it was an obligation—and don't give me that look, you know very well which _sleep with _I'm referring to. Now that I know, I don't have to sleep next to him any more. I feel like a little bit of a burden, and it's awkward."

"Has he said anything to you about it?"

"No."

"Well then it's clearly fine for him!"

"He wouldn't say anything about it either way, Ino." Sakura sighed. "I mean there's no reason for us to sleep even in the same house anymore. We don't love each other, and the fact that he took my necklace off when I asked says that he's willing to let go of me as his possession." At least, she was pretty sure they weren't in love. The fluttery feeling in her stomach hadn't gone away though. And thinking about him made her heart beat faster. It was probably nerves, she reasoned. She was nervous about telling him she was moving out.

"I still think you're making a big mistake."

Sakura wasn't about to voice it aloud, but there was a tiny hesitation inside of her that agreed with her blonde friend.

**.**

**.**

After lunch, the two friends had nothing better to do, so they decided to train. They only stopped when it got dark out, which in reality was only a few hours after they'd started. The two had spent hours in the café just talking and reminiscing on old times. They caught their breath while looking up at the stars, lying on their backs in the middle of the training field. It was a perfect, moonlit night. The stars were vibrant and the light from a full moon seemed to act as a second, ethereally glowing sun.

"Are you nervous?" Ino asked. Sakura assumed she was talking about talking to Sasuke tonight, so she gave the honest answer.

"Yes." And then Sakura stood up. "So I guess I better go and get it over with."

She parted from Ino and began the walk towards the Uchiha Compound. She was so occupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice that someone was tailing her until he fell into step beside her. Sakura jumped for a minute, but found that it was only Sasuke. The streets were pretty barren, since this wasn't in the main part of town. Sakura caught a glimpse of him and knew he'd been training, but then she amended _training _to _letting off steam_ considering his tirade in the Hokage's office that morning. The fact that he'd been concerned and furious for her sake made what she was about to do so much more difficult. Sakura knew she didn't belong alongside him, she never had, but it was a place she'd always wanted to be. Even now, it seemed, she was still infatuated by his presence. But it had to be done. She had to return to the natural order of things, since Sasuke didn't seem to care for her in the same way.

"Hey." Sakura said. Sasuke answered with his famous "Hn."

There was silence for a moment.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"Spit it out."

Sakura looked startled for a moment. "W—What?"

"You obviously want to say something, so say it."

Well, it was now or never. "Um…well I was thinking that since Cain is in prison now and there's no threat to me anymore…I mean, since you took off my necklace which obviously means that we're over the whole owner and possession thing…And since there's nothing more between us I was…" Sakura took a deep breath. "I was thinking that I should move back into my apartment."

Sasuke was silent for a moment. The pink haired woman chanced a glimpse at his face, and found that it looked completely normal. There were, however, hints of tension in his eyes that she'd only seen because she knew him so well.

"Okay." He said at last.

"Um…okay then. I guess I'll just move my stuff out in the morning." She'd gotten what she wanted, so why did she feel so hurt that he wasn't even trying to stop her?

They walked the rest of the way in silence, and once they reached Sasuke's house, Sakura was the first one in the shower. When she was done, Sasuke brushed past her without a word. Sakura just turned out the lights and slipped under the covers. Why was she feeling like this? She was getting what she wanted. Her mind shouldn't be this troubled.

Sasuke laid down next to her, and didn't even attempt to lay a hand on her. It made her want to cry. It made her feel used and alone.

But when she was drifting between this world and the dream world, she felt Sasuke's arm curl around her middle and pull her to him. She didn't know if she was dreaming, but she was pretty sure he was holding on tighter than he ever had before.

**.**

**.**

When Sakura woke up, Sasuke was gone. She was used to this, of course, but the fact that he wasn't even going to say goodbye to her made it ten times worse. After that thought, Sakura mentally slapped herself. It wasn't like she was going on a suicide mission or something. She was just moving a mile away!

Sakura packed up her things quickly, constantly finding things she'd left around the house. She didn't realize it when she was moving in, but she'd brought a ton of stuff here from her apartment. She could barely stuff it all into her duffle bag.

Sakura locked the house before walking the streets to her apartment. She walked up the stairs, but found them unfamiliar at this point. Sakura had trouble unlocking the door, before she remembered that her door was a little screwy and needed a little extra push to get it open. Inside, her apartment was stifling hot. It made sense though. Sakura didn't know how long her stay at Sasuke's would be, so she disconnected her air and electric and water, so she wouldn't be billed for them. She opened her windows in an attempt to get some air inside, feeling the cool breeze filter inside of the rooms.

The medic spent the whole day putting things away. She first had to remember where things went, though. Her kitchen cabinets were nothing like Sasuke's. She opened one of them expecting to find glasses only to find plates instead. She'd really lived in the Uchiha Complex too long.

That night, Sakura lay down in her bed with the cold sheets and the mattress her back was trying to get used to again feeling a little lonely. She was so used to being tucked in the protective embrace of a warm body that when she turned onto her side, she wanted to reach out and pull him close to her. But all she was reaching for was air.

By her own choice, she was completely alone.

**.**

**.**

The next day, Sakura woke feeling pretty stiff. It took several minutes of stretching out her back before it would stop aching. She'd gotten so used to Sasuke's bed that her own was now foreign. Sakura got dressed and went to her kitchen, trying to find something to eat in the dark. She hadn't gotten around to turning anything back on yet, so the windows were still open and the apartment was still dark. Living without water was the hardest, though. She had to go next door to use the toilet and brush her teeth.

She was going to go talk to Tsunade again about her situation. The medic was really starting to get bored doing nothing all day.

Sakura locked up and walked towards the Hokage Tower. People were buzzing around on the streets and she didn't see anyone she knew. The pink haired woman walked up to the Hokage Tower and had just opened the front door when something came barreling into her side. Embarrassingly, both people fell, and the man who'd bumped into her had been carrying a stack of papers and folders, which were now scattered everywhere.

"I'm so sorry, Haruno-san!"

Sakura, because she was a good person, helped him to pick up his papers. "It's no problem…um…" She trailed off when she realized she didn't know what his name was.

"Kenji. My name is Kenji."

She hadn't seen him around town, but shrugged it off. Konoha is a big city after all. "Right. No problem, Kenji-san. Where were you going?"

"The Hokage's office. I need to give her this paperwork."

Sakura grimaced. Tsunade was going to be furious with this much paper being carried into her office. "I'm going there too. Would you like some help?"

"Help would be wonderful, Haruno-san." Sakura picked up a pile of paper and the two began to ascend the stairs. Kenji cleared his throat. "I heard that you found out the reason Uchiha bought you."

Sakura turned to him. "How many people know this, exactly?"

"Well it's sort of been the answer to one really big mystery…lots of people are talking about it." When Sakura turned a sharp gaze onto the man, he blushed and amended his answer. "I mean, it's just been silly town gossip. I don't even know if half of the facts are right." He cleared his throat. "And I'm glad you don't belong to Cain. He's not a very nice man."

Sakura stopped in the middle of the hall. "How do you know about that?" Because as far as she knew, that mission had been deemed _Classified_.

He blushed again. "Like I said. Town gossip."

"Right…" Sakura said slowly, deciding to be a little bit more wary of him. She didn't know him, had never even _seen_ him before, and he suddenly knew a lot more than he should. Her form was tense, and she couldn't wait to reach the Hokage's office and leave him behind her. Of course if it really was gossip, then that meant that someone was flapping their mouth a little too much, probably while completely drunk.

They were close to the Hokage's office by this point, and Sakura was sighing in relief when Kenji opened his mouth again.

"Are you adjusting well in your apartment?"

Sakura turned to him, not feeling like playing this game anymore. With just her glare, she backed the poor man into a corner. "You know, it's funny how you know so much, considering I only moved back _yesterday_. And don't you dare bring up that gossip shit again, because I know that it couldn't have spread that fast." Especially since she'd only told a few people that she would be back in her own apartment, so that they would know where to look for her if they needed her.

The man took his papers back from Sakura. "Sorry to bother you, Haruno-san." And then he disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Sakura was still glaring at the place where Kenji's head was a minute later, trying to figure everything out, when she finally gave up. She still needed to talk to the Hokage after all. Sakura was a few feet from her mentor's door when it opened, and Sasuke came out. He didn't look surprised to see her, but Sakura had been so distracted with Kenji that she hadn't sensed another presence inside Tsunade's office.

"Sasuke." Sakura greeted, feeling slightly awkward around him. She didn't know how to react, especially since he hadn't said a word to her since she told him she was moving back into her own apartment.

"Sakura." The Uchiha said. He looked relaxed standing there, clearly not feeling the awkwardness that Sakura felt. The onyx-eyed man slipped a hand into his pocket and grabbed something. His fisted hand extended towards her, and Sakura held her hands out. "Here. You left this at my house." And he dropped her heart-shaped necklace into her hands. It was the necklace he had given her as a marker of his ownership over her. Sakura had known she'd left it there. Somehow, taking it hadn't felt right.

"Are you sure? I mean, it must have been so expensive and…"

"Take it. It belongs to you anyway."

Sakura was glad to have it, the necklace brought her a sense of calmness that reminded her of physically standing next to Sasuke, but there was another problem. Thankfully, Sasuke answered the question in her head before she even had to ask him.

"If you put it on, I'll take it off for you."

Sakura smiled. "Thank you." Although if he repeatedly took this necklace off her like he had the last time…Sakura would seriously rethink moving back into her own apartment.

Sasuke's eyes suddenly narrowed a fraction. Not in a menacing way, like he did with enemies, but in more of a curious way, like there was something he was trying to figure out. "Something is troubling you."

Wide green eyes were turned onto his form. "How…?"

"Even though you aren't wearing the necklace, we're still bonded."

Sakura shook her head. "It's nothing. There's just a lot of gossip going around…about _us_."

Sasuke nodded once. He was used to gossip going around about him, even before the massacre. When he was born, there were rumors his parents had arranged a marriage between him and his cousin to keep the Uchiha bloodline pure. When he was older, there were always rumors that he secretly dated girls in his class. When he was a missing-nin, there were rumors that Orochimaru had him training a…_different_ part of his body. All the rumors were completely false, of course, but the masses needed something to spice up their boring lives. He'd always just ignored it.

"Just don't pay any attention to it."

Sakura nodded. "Thanks, Sasuke."

**.**

**.**

That night, Sakura couldn't get to sleep. She tossed and turned, not finding any luck getting into the mattress' sweet spot. There were more than a few moments when she just wanted to knock herself out and be done with it. To top off the uncomfortable sensation, her mind was racing. She kept looking at the stars right outside her window. It was such a gorgeous night, with the moon shining down on everyone and everything. It was times like this that she wished that she could just go outside for hours and hours, listen to the quiet city and just feel the cool air enter her lungs. A part of her brain forced her to wonder if Sasuke was looking at this night sky right now, thinking of her, or if he was already fast asleep. The pink haired woman couldn't help but realize that she wanted to be on his mind. She wanted to be with him and have him think about her the same way she thought about him.

It was about three AM when she finally managed to get to sleep, and even that was short lived. Her ninja senses woke her up not an hour later to tell her that there was someone in her apartment. She thought that it might be Sasuke, because of the way he'd woken her up in the hospital just a few days earlier. Whoever it was, he was moving just as silently as Sasuke and almost as unnoticeable as Sasuke. Because really, if the Uchiha didn't want you to notice he was there, you weren't going to. It was never a problem with Sakura though. Sasuke always made sure that his presence was known around her as a professional courtesy of sorts. Even when she had been in his house and he'd gotten to bed long before he did, he always made sure that she sensed him, so that she didn't wake up in the middle of the night and panic, not knowing who was in the room with her.

Sakura rolled over on her back and almost immediately a cloth pressed over her mouth and nose. She knew that she shouldn't breathe, but she'd already been halfway through inhaling when the cloth had descended. She ended up not only inhaling, but choking on the fumes as well, inhaling more of the chloroform and allowing it to do its work. The medic struggled as hard as she could, but she'd inhaled too much of the fumes already to put up much of a fight.

Green eyes snapped over to a figure watching as his lackey did all the work.

It wasn't Sasuke.

It was Cain.

**.**

**.**

Sasuke sat up in his bed, kunai in hand, feeling waves of adrenaline course through him.

Sakura was screaming inside of his head.

She was in danger, but she was too panicked to relay what the danger was, exactly. Sasuke closed his eyes, forcing his entire being to remain calm and not go rush off to help her. His mind reached out to hers, a little more difficult with her not wearing the necklace, and he forced himself inside of her mind. He hadn't used this much, considering Sakura would kill him if she knew that he could go inside of her mind at any time, but it was one advantage of being her owner.

He saw a face in her room. Cain's. And that was all he needed for him to grab his sword and race out of his house like a bat out of Hell. He used every ounce of energy he had to increase his speed to get him to her apartment, praying that he was going to make it.

Why had he let her move out? He thought it was safe! Cain was, or had been, in jail. There was no more threats to her life! But somehow Cain had escaped, and Sasuke growled, regretting his decision to see the man rot in a cell for the rest of his life. He should have killed the bastard on Seaweed Island. Sasuke's eyes bled crimson in his anger. This time, he promised himself, he would finish the job. Cain would die a slow and horrible death if he even touched a hair on Sakura's head.

The door to Sakura's apartment was closed and locked, forcing Sasuke to throw his shoulder into the door to force it open. It gave with his first try, and Sasuke ran into her bedroom, where her personal scent was the strongest. He loved that scent. Loved smelling it in her hair when he slept beside her. Loved tasting it on her skin on the one occasion, even though it had been tainted with scents of alcohol and drunken fools.

The bedroom was empty.

Sasuke closed his eyes again, trying to find her again, to see where she went. He found, though, that he couldn't find her anywhere. If he couldn't enter her mind, that either meant she was unconscious or dead, although he was pretty sure it wasn't the latter.

The Uchiha exited the apartment, following the faint trail of foreign chakra that lingered inside of Sakura's room. He was starting to feel the beginnings of panic and worry swell inside of his chest, right alongside the murderous intent to kill. Sasuke jumped rooftop to rooftop following that chakra, and he now stood on top of the gigantic wall that surrounded Konoha. He scanned the area, looking for any kind of chakra, _anything_ that might help him find her.

Nothing.

They were gone.

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **Well, I must admit this wasn't exactly my best chapter ever, but I still hope that you all liked it just the same. I'm going to try to update more often, but it's really going to be a challenge, as I have several large events coming up in my life. I promise you this though, none of my stories will be discontinued. It may take me forever to update, but I'll keep updating until the stories are finished. As always, please review and tell me what you think!


	16. Hellfire

**Author's Notes: **Yes, I know it's almost been a year (eek!) since this has been updated. You guys have no idea how big my writer's block was for this chapter. By the way, if you don't remember "Hellfire" from the _Hunchback of Notre Dame_, I suggest you go listen to it. I think it's pretty fitting for this chapter.

**Title Reference for Chapter Sixteen: **"Hellfire" from _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 16: Hellfire

**.**

**.**

Sasuke stood on the roof of the Hokage Tower, watching the colors of dawn appear over the horizon. After he realized that chasing after Sakura would have been a bad thing to do by himself—he couldn't even pinpoint which direction she had gone—he'd gone straight to the Hokage. He stormed past all of her ANBU guards and woke her up out of a deep sleep. She was angry at first, but even his murderous expression didn't make her listen. She was about to start screaming at him when she must have seen the traces of fear and worry etched into his eyes. When he explained the problem, she immediately shot out of bed, barking orders to her guards, to him, to Shizune, to anyone who would listen and who was around. Sasuke, per her orders, raced to Kakashi's apartment.

His old sensei had opened his door to him before Sasuke could even have a chance to land on his front porch. When he heard the news, he summoned his dogs and they immediately began to track Sakura's scent. It was one they knew well considering that she had been a part of Kakashi's team for so long, and the fact that they knew she smelled roughly the same as Pakkun, since they both used the same shampoo. Sasuke wanted to send his snakes out on the search as well, but they were far slower than Kakashi's dogs.

The white-haired man grabbed his green vest, being completely dressed otherwise, and they both shot to the Hokage Tower to find a team of Konoha's finest ninjas assembled. Sasuke learned that the Inuzuka family had also dispatched their dogs, and Shino had sent his bugs to search as well. Sasuke felt hopeful for a second, especially when he saw Neji and Hinata in the room, Byakugans activated. His stomach dropped when Hinata closed her eyes and shook her head, and Neji reported that they were out of his range.

Tsunade looked at him and told him that she'd sent a missive ahead to spies who were close to the Fire Country's shore. She ordered them to immediately take a detour to Seaweed Island to check the fortress there to see if Cain had gone there. Sasuke was more relying on the tracking animals. They'd left forty-five minutes ago and they wouldn't be close to Seaweed Island even if they were moving at top speed.

The room was already chaotic, but Naruto burst through the door at that moment, demanding to be put on the search. Tsunade declined, having to raise her voice to be heard over the blond. It was at this point Sasuke decided to go someplace quiet to see if he could talk to Sakura through the bond. He'd gone to the roof, sat down on the ground, closed his eyes, and concentrated on her.

It was disturbingly hard to reach her. She hadn't been wearing the necklace and while it seemed silly that taking off a piece of jewelry could weaken the bond, it did. He knew that he'd reached her when he could almost feel her skin under his fingertips and breathe in her scent.

But that was all. She was still unconscious. He couldn't communicate with her on any level. He reached further and felt her heart beating steadily in sleep. For now, it was enough to know that she was alive.

Sasuke stayed on the roof, knowing that if anyone had any information they would come and tell him immediately. It was far easier to continue to try to link to Sakura when there weren't screaming idiots everywhere. Right now, he was staring at the sunrise listening to Sakura's heartbeat echo in his head.

She was supposed to be safe; that was the only reason he'd taken the necklace off of her. It was the only reason he hadn't protested when she wanted to move out. To be honest, he hadn't minded their living arrangements, despite how antisocial he was. He'd just gotten used to waking up in the middle of the night to feel her curling into him, pressing her cheek into his shoulder. Occasionally he would tighten his arm around her and she'd give a breathy little sigh of contentment that made his heart beat just a little faster. When he woke up in the mornings and had to leave her, he had to keep himself from returning to her side when she unconsciously reached to his side of the bed and found nothing but air.

Their last night together it had taken all he had not to reach over to her. But she wanted her privacy and a life away from him, and he had to abide by her wishes. Which is why it had confused him at first when he felt her sadness and hurt. She wanted this, didn't she? He finally gave in when he was pretty sure she had drifted off, pulling her to him and holding her there. Even now, he couldn't quite describe how he felt. Uchiha didn't explore their feelings, because that would be a weakness. Of course, Uchihas also weren't supposed to feel their heart clench when the other side of the bed was cold, or feel a gaping hole in their chests when someone disappeared. He was supposed to stay calm during a kidnapping. Instead he felt almost hysteric.

He felt a presence appear on the roof behind him and Sasuke turned to find a weary looking Kakashi.

"All the tracking animals have reported back." Kakashi said lowly. His lack of urgency made Sasuke panic, and he immediately reached into the bond again only to feel the medic's unconscious heartbeat.

"And?" Sasuke pushed.

"They couldn't find anything." He rubbed his visible eye in mental and physical fatigue. "She's completely disappeared."

**.**

**.**

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. Her mind was on high alert, but her body couldn't catch up to it. The effects of the chloroform were making her sluggish, and behind the thick, cottony sensation in her head she was developing a phenomenal headache.

The kunoichi turned over and forced herself onto her elbows. She dragged her knees up and below her so they would keep her balance while she attempted to sit up. She forced her abdomen to contract and pull herself upright, with no small use of her arms. Her limbs were shaking, and when she got her head above the rest of her body her vision swam and she had the strongest urge to vomit.

Her arms folded beneath her so she was resting her weight on her forearms. Sakura took several deep breaths to clear her head and then tried sitting up again. This time, when she fell, she fell towards the nearest wall so she could prop her upper body against it. The wall behind her was cool stone that made her shiver. When she tried to use chakra to clear the dizziness, there was a sharp pain and then a crackling sound around her wrists and ankles. She brought one wrist to her face (looking down would cause her to get dizzy again) and saw a large metal cuff attached with talismans over it to ward off any chakra usage. Attached to the cuff was a rather large chain, which was probably attached to either the floor or the wall.

The squeak of rusty metal caught her attention, and Sakura saw a large steel door being opened in front of her. Now that she looked at it, it was the only door in the small room she was being kept in, and there weren't any windows.

"So you've finally woken up." Sakura tried to give Cain her fiercest glare, but at best she probably just looked exhausted. "Those would be the drugs at work. I have it on record that taking your chakra alone won't do any good since you're still one of the smartest kunoichis in the world. The drugs will help with that. But don't worry, they should leave you with just enough intelligence for what I plan to do with you later."

Sakura wanted to make a sarcastic remark in her head, but her thoughts were so sluggish that by the time she thought of something witty to say, Cain had gone to the door and was talking with someone outside.

"…not here? Inform me when he arrives, I can do other things until then." He shut the door and came to stand before her again. Cain reached in his pocket and pulled out the necklace Sasuke had given her and dangled it from his hand. "You know, I was thinking of giving you some sort of ring. But not an actual ring, I actually had a bellybutton ring that I thought was nice. Of course, we'd have to hold you still to actually pierce your bellybutton, but that wouldn't be a problem since one word from me and I could command you to do anything I want." He blinked for a second. "I _can_ command you to do anything I want." He clucked his tongue once. "I guess I have to get used to talking in the present tense."

Dread spread like flames throughout Sakura's body. _What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

He pulled out a lighter and the sudden appearance of the flame made Sakura stare. She wanted to touch it because it was so warm and she was sitting in the cold in her pajamas. That tiny little flame reminded her of Sasuke and how intense he was in everything he did. Even when asleep, he kept her close with an arm of iron. Sakura longed to feel—

Cain passed the flame under the necklace quickly, so that the heat touched the pendant for only a second. The pink haired medic could do nothing but gasp as a pins and needles sensation spread throughout her body. The next time he did it, she whimpered, biting her lip and drawing blood to avoid any other pathetic noises.

"You know, if that boy toy of yours hadn't interfered, this would be a lot easier." He closed his eyes and gave an easygoing shrug. "Oh well. Que ser_á será." He held the flame in his hand so that it directly touched the heart pendant. _

_Sakura found the energy to scream. _

**.**

**.**

It was quite a surprise to all the shinobi in the room when the Uchiha Sasuke _stumbled_.

He'd come down from the roof and had been standing in a room of quiet shinobi, waiting to hear from the Hokage what the next plan of action was. Everyone in the room was still and practically at attention, so of course all eyes turned to him when Sasuke felt his legs give out. Thankfully, for the sake of his pride, he managed to catch himself before he hit the floor.

Tsunade had one eyebrow raised. "Uchiha?" It seemed she was amused to watch such a controlled man make a fool of himself in front of most of his peers, but then she sobered up a little. "Sasuke, did that have anything to do with…?"

But Sasuke had already closed his eyes in meditation. He felt along the fine threads of the bond until he reached her. Immediately his jaw clenched and he let out heavier breaths. Someone touched his elbow, but he ignored it. He could feel the way the pain was ripping her apart from the inside. How it felt like her muscles were being torn apart. While he couldn't feel all of this physically, he could still mentally feel her pain. Hear her screams and her whimpers.

He stepped inside of her mind and abruptly his whole thought process came to a halt.

Inner Sakura, the force which had pushed him out of her mind so many times before, was on her _knees_, forehead against the floor. She was holding her head and he could hear how she was trying to be strong and not make noise even though the pain was overbearing. Threads of electricity surrounded her and nipped against her phantom skin.

He went towards her and the crackling stopped. He also felt Outer Sakura relax and figured Cain must have stopped torturing her for the time being. Inner Sakura fell to her side and Sasuke leaned over her.

"Sakura?" He asked, his voice betraying how frantic he was.

Inner Sakura opened her mouth to give a response, but all that emerged was a strangled sob.

The Sharingan user squeezed one of her hands in his and touched his forehead to hers. "Show me. Show me what's happening." It was odd to talk to a white outline like it was Sakura, but Sasuke had to remember that this _was _Sakura even though she didn't have flesh.

"Cain is burning the necklace." She said between pants. "…hurts."

"Do you know where you are?"

"No." She whimpered. "We can't see…" She stopped her sentence to clench his hand harder.

"Can you show me?" Sasuke asked. He supposed other owners had been able to step inside their possession's mind easier. The bond wasn't exactly made for a possession who had a powerful alter ego in their head.

Inner Sakura was quiet for a moment, but then she opened her eyes and slid both of her hands down to his chest. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "She doesn't want you to see her like this."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Help me find you. We're looking but there's no trace…"

"We don't know where we are." Her arms bent at the elbow. He probably would have felt them tense if she had muscles. "…sorry." And then she pushed.

Sasuke's breath was knocked out of him as he felt himself catapulted back into his own mind. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at a room full of curious shinobi. "She's being tortured." With that statement, he could feel the air in the room get thicker.

"_What?_" Naruto yelled. "What do you mean she's being tortured? We have to go rescue her right now!"

"She doesn't know where she is." Sasuke said.

"Uchiha." Tsunade snapped. "Stay here and try to get any information you can from her. Aburame, Inuzuka, and Kakashi, send out the tracking animals again. I want Neji and Hinata to go outside the city walls for three miles and see what you can track. Neji take Tenten as backup and Hinata take Chouji."

"What about me, Granny?" Naruto whined. Sasuke thought his complaining was getting a bit annoying, but Sasuke knew how he felt. He was none too happy about having to stay here either. He wanted to join in the search too, but he knew that it was stupid to go out blindly when he had no idea which way she'd gone. He had an upper hand due to his direct link with her, but then again she wasn't allowing anything to come through the bond again.

"You stay too, Naruto. I want Team Kakashi ready to go in case we find anything." She barked more orders and more shinobi disappeared, and the remaining shinobi were sent to search for any other of Cain's known bases. Sasuke excused himself to the roof again, knowing he needed quiet to see if he could get past Inner Sakura. No one would be happy if they knew he had to command her, and he wanted to avoid that particular conflict. But first…

Sasuke bit his thumb and summoned several of his snakes. He didn't care if they were slower than dogs or insects, he was sending out everyone who was available. "Find Haruno Sakura and then report back to me. Kill anyone that is a threat to her, but don't even _touch_ Sakura herself. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a hissing chorus of "_Yesssss_."

"Go." He ordered. Immediately the snakes in front of him disappeared with a _poof!_

Sasuke closed obsidian orbs and reached towards her. He tried to access her mind but with no small sense of panic found that he _couldn't_.

**.**

**.**

It had been easy enough to block Sasuke from her mind, especially with an alter ego. She formed a mental wall of chakra in her mind and threw it up along their bond. It would be simple enough to take down of course, in case she really needed help, but she didn't want him to see her like this especially if there was nothing either of them could do about it.

She had worried that it would disappear when Cain got back to burning the necklace, but it hadn't required that much mental concentration to keep up. It was a good thing too, because Cain burned the necklace the next time and kept the flame under for a longer period of time before letting her rest. The next time he did it, Sakura almost wanted him to go ahead and kill her so the torture would be over. He only stopped the third time because there was a knock on the door.

It cracked open, and Sakura was too busy panting to hear what was said. She did try to listen though, but the sparks of lightning still flying around her body were a bit distracting.

She did make sure to concentrate when the door opened wider and a man stepped inside. He was old and he looked like a shriveled raisin, but his eyes were cold and unforgiving. His salt-and-pepper hair did nothing to hide features that were probably once beautiful and terrifying.

"This is her, eh?" He said, hobbling towards her and lifting her chin. He turned her face left and then right so he could look at her from all directions. Sakura tried her best to glare at him, but she probably looked too tired to really get her point across. "She's a stubborn one alright. I want double my price."

"Double!" Cain screamed in outrage. "This is extortion."

"Since I have the monopoly over my area of business you can't really say that, now can you? Besides, it's not like you can't afford it."

Cain's mouth tensed. "Fine. Double. Just get it done."

The man gave a grin, and Sakura could see he was missing more than a couple of teeth. "Good. Now do you have something to give her?

Cain, still looking pissed, knocked on the door. A scrawny man came in with a box and gave the box to Cain, then he left. "Everything is in here."

The old man stood up and went to the box, looking inside. "Interesting choice. Now I assume you know when to put your chakra into this, right?" He came back over to Sakura, plucking a few hairs from her head and dropping them in the box. He formed a few seals and touched whatever was in the box.

There was a tingling sensation at first, and then it built up gradually. Sakura let out a gasp of pain, and then heard herself scream when it felt like her soul was being ripped out of her. She could hear the rips inside of her body as muscles unwound and split apart and knitted themselves back together painfully.

Her head was killing her the most though. It felt like she had thousands of kunai stabbing at her from all directions. Her brain was on overdrive and it hurt and she couldn't drag her hands up to _do _anything and all she wanted right now was Sasuke!

She didn't have a shed of concentration left to spare. The barrier in between the bond dropped.

**.**

**.**

"Uchiha!" He heard a voice call out to him. "Damn it Uchiha, wake up!"

Sasuke groaned and opened his eyes a little. How did he end up on the ground? He saw Tsunade kneeling beside him and knew she was the one who had been calling out to him. Kakashi and Naruto were there as well, and were looking concerned.

The last thing he remembered was walking back towards Tsunade's office. There had been a ripping, excruciating pain and then…nothing. He concentrated on finding Sakura, but instead of the ease he had when following the bond before, now it was like a turbulent storm had come between them. He kept his mental footing and forged his way across the bond.

"Sakura?"

He didn't hear anything for a moment, and then there was a whisper in the turbulence. "Sasuke?" When he was fully inside of her mind, his surroundings quieted a little. Inner Sakura was there to greet him. She stood this time, looking decidedly worried. "You felt that too, huh?"

"Of course I felt it." It felt like boiling acid was being poured inside his body. "What the hell was it?"

"I don't know, they're not revealing anything in front of us." Inner Sakura said, talking about her Outer counterpart and herself.

"Can you show me now?" The Sharingan user asked. He expected her to refuse him, and was pleasantly surprised when she allowed him to see through Outer Sakura's eyes. His first thought was that it was no wonder Sakura didn't know where she was. It was a small room with a single door and no windows. He also noted with a growl that she was chained to the floor with chakra suppressing handcuffs, and the chain was too short to allow her any leeway to fight. Cain was in the room with her as well, but he wasn't paying attention to her, which was a small relief. He was also with another man and they were peering into a small velvet box. According to her memories, Sakura had no idea what was inside.

But Sasuke had a good idea, especially when he saw the hand formations of a familiar jutsu. The man's hand touched whatever was in the box and Sasuke held on to the mental connection for dear life when he felt the familiar ripping sensation through his corporeal body. When the attack was over, both he and Sakura were panting, but Sasuke had to smirk.

Inner Sakura looked at him quizzically.

"They're trying to change my ownership over you."

"_What?_" This time, it was Outer Sakura who screeched despite being in a weakened state. Two pairs of eyes switched over her curiously. "What you're doing should be impossible." Thankfully, her voice was a bit stronger now. It seemed that for some reason Sasuke's presence in her mind made her a bit more alert. She had also been working on metabolizing the drugs in her body, which was helping her think more clearly.

"She knows?" Cain asked, eyes wide. He glared at the other man.

The old man smirked. "No, I doubt her old owner has told her much about this process. He's probably inside of her consciousness or telepathically communicating with her."

"Does he know where she is?" Sakura was more than satisfied to hear a touch of alarm in his voice.

_Probably because he knows Sasuke would kick his ass if he could find me. _Sakura thought with a smirk.

_Thanks for the vote of confidence_, a voice answered in the back of her head. Damn it. She'd forgotten Sasuke was still there.

"Since Sakura doesn't know where she is there's no way he can know. We're fine."

Cain gave a sinister smirk in Sakura's direction. He stalked arrogantly towards her and kneeled in front of her, dangling Sakura's charred necklace in front of her face. "Can you hear me Uchiha? You've lost." Sakura weakly reached for her necklace and Cain playfully jerked it out of her reach.

Inside of her head, Sasuke was _murderous_.

"I'll give you credit, you got to her first, but in the end she's going to—"

With a surge of genius and a burst of her last energy, Sakura's hand whipped forward and grabbed the pendant. The medic felt a rush of relief wash over her, but her plan wasn't done yet. While Cain was distracted, Sakura's other hand came up as far as it could and gripped his shirt, pulling him down to her level and meeting Cain's lips with hers. Immediately electricity began to course around them, nipping and burning Sakura's skin when it made contact. The pink haired kunoichi held onto her enemy for as long as she could and for as long as her body could stand it.

Cain ripped himself away, jerking the necklace out of her hand. Sakura was left panting with an exhaustion bone deep. It was probably half from moving too quickly and half from the bond's punishment of her actions. But that's what Sakura had been counting on in the first place, hope blooming within her for the first time since she'd been captured. She couldn't even feel the pain from Cain's backhanded slap.

_Please let it have worked_. She prayed.

**.**

**.**

Sasuke's corporeal eyes popped open, causing the three shinobi around him to snap their attention down to him on the floor. Sasuke hated the feeling of being on the floor, since he was a proud Uchiha. His father would have surely chastised him for letting his guard down in such a vulnerable position, but it didn't seem like vulnerability mattered anymore. Not when _she_ was in danger.

But he had to admit he'd certainly bought the smartest kunoichi around, not to mention the most courageous and impulsive. What she'd done had been a Naruto-like move, surprising your enemy and then throwing him off guard with something completely unexpected. He doubted anything except the massacre of his family could cause him to feel such unbridled rage and fury, so much so that he hadn't even realized his Sharingan was active and was spinning madly. He growled low in his throat remembering her kiss another man. He could still remember how she kissed when she was drunk, and the thought made him shiver. Still, he didn't want to admit it but…it was the only way, and it accomplished what she probably wanted it to.

"I know where she is." He said suddenly. "She's North-North-East of here."

"Can you get any more specific?" Tsunade asked after ordering Naruto to retrieve the people doing research so they could go on the search. Kakashi was already informing all those out in the field of this recent development via the radio around his neck.

Sasuke shook his head as Kakashi helped him to his feet. "She doesn't know where she is, so I can't give you an exact location. All I can tell you is direction."

The Hokage nodded. "Hopefully it will be enough." She paused for a moment in thought and then raised an eyebrow at him. "How could you tell now if you couldn't before?"

"She broke a rule." And his eyes started spinning again.

"Ah." Tsunade cleared her throat. "Quick thinker, that one."

He glared at her.

Sasuke inhaled sharply as he felt Sakura's pain and knew it was coming to him again. Lightning coated the fine threads of their bond and he could feel the strings unraveling. He didn't have any time to worry about this though as a pain unlike any he had ever known coursed through him and brought him to his knees. He gasped for air.

"Damn it Uchiha!" Tsunade kneeled by him as he grabbed onto his head. He wanted to do what Inner Sakura had done and curl into a fetal position on the floor, but his pride would never allow him to do such a thing no matter how much pain he was in. He clutched his abdomen and felt blood trickle out of his mouth. "What the hell is going on?"

"…different…" He gasped out. This was unlike the pains of before, when it had just simply been physical. This felt like his _mind_ was crumbling in his hands, like little glass shards falling and ripping everything in his path. He could barely concentrate on his next breath, let alone forming a rational thought as to what was happening. It felt like a miracle he wasn't bleeding all over the place, because that's how he felt.

He didn't know how long the onslaught occurred, but it couldn't have ended any quicker. He collapsed onto the floor and panted, the cool tile of the hallway feeling good against his cheek and his head. The Hokage checked him over medically, but he doubted she'd find anything and she didn't. This pain was all in his head, and it was all coming from Sakura.

_Sakura_…he thought, wondering how she was faring. He tried to contact her, but had to pull away because of an intense pain in his head.

"How is she?" Tsunade asked, but Sasuke shook his head. He didn't know, and even if he did he would have trouble telling her since he was having trouble _breathing_ right now, let alone explaining.

_Sakura_…

**.**

**.**

The arms that had been pinning her down finally relented, and a pins and needles feeling made her way into her limbs as she got back the feeling in her arms and legs. Sakura stared at the ceiling, panting because drawing breath had become a difficult task. She couldn't even fathom moving, and if she could move she was positive her muscles would scream obscenities at her.

Her stomach had once been a sharp pain but was settling to a painful ache. A lone tear had slipped down her cheek when she'd felt the cheap metal being pierced into her skin. It had hurt more than she'd thought, but she didn't know why they'd felt the need to hold her down. After the old man's jutsu, she'd felt as weak as a newborn. It was frustrating, not being able to do anything, but Cain probably figured that she would try something stupid and impulsive again. Clearly he wasn't a man who cared for surprises.

"We'll need to move locations." The old man said. "She's probably got people coming to look for her."

"Agreed." Cain said. "I've got a place not far from here, but we will need to travel fast."

The old man hobbled over to Sakura, who was still unable to get off the ground. He took out a key and undid her shackles, Cain giving him a wary look as he did so. Sakura felt her chakra reserves return to her but in the back of her mind she knew that she couldn't use them even if she tried. She wouldn't be able to punch herself out of anything with the state she was in right now. She wouldn't even be able to punch like she had when she was a _Genin_! She felt more tears roll down her cheeks, unable to stop them.

"Is that wise?"

The old man nodded. "She can't use it against you. Besides, traveling will be quicker this way."

"So, did it…?" Cain's voice trailed off, unsure.

The old man smirked. "Try something."

"Stand up." Cain commanded.

With no small amount of horror, Sakura realized that her muscles were moving without her permission, and she was suddenly on her feet. Her arm automatically went to the wall to help her support herself. She gasped, feeling as petrified and as angry as she had the first time someone had ordered her around.

"How…?" Sakura gasped out. It couldn't be…it just couldn't…this was impossible! There's no way…

_Please let this all be a dream!_

"Because," Cain began, smiling in triumph. He flicked the cool metal resting against her bellybutton and Sakura felt a sharp pain spread throughout her abdomen. "I own you now."

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **Oh no! That's quite unfortunate isn't it? Well, this chapter was a little shorter than I would have liked, but I promise the next one will be longer (and be posted sooner!) Like I said in the last chapter, I plan on finishing all of my stories…it just may take awhile for me to get to it. As always, please review and tell me what you think!


	17. Goodbye May Seem Forever

**Author's Notes: **Ugh! I need to rant for a moment about Death Note, and there will be spoilers. So I just finished Death Note and I am seriously pissed at the ending. I was totally on Light's side. (Though I was sad when L died.) What would have been epic is when Light starts laughing crazily at the end and goes "Yeah, I'm Kira" and then everyone else DROPS to the ground and dies. Near seriously got on my nerves. Okay, rant over now.

**Title Reference for Chapter Seventeen: **"Goodbye May Seem Forever" from _Fox and the Hound_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 17: Goodbye May Seem Forever

**.**

**.**

When he woke up, Uchiha Sasuke was _livid_.

For the second time that night, the pain had forced him unconscious, and he'd woken up on the blissfully cool tiles of the Hokage Tower. There had been concern from everyone around him, but Sasuke was able to push himself easily off the floor. Of course there was no lasting damage for him. He was the owner. He was supposed to be aware of what his possession did, but never feel the side effects of it.

The first thing he'd tried was to reach out to Sakura, to see if she was okay. His mind planted a seed of doubt even before he tried, telling him there was no way to reach her. He'd felt his stomach clench when that proved to be true. Normally, he felt along the fine strings of the bond, having them guide his mind to her. Now…now there were no strings. It felt like reaching to Naruto or Kakashi. There was absolutely nothing special about it. Nothing to say he still owned her. All that was left were the frayed remains of the bond, looking as though they had been ruthlessly sawed instead of neatly cut.

Which is why when Tsunade asked, "Is she still in the same location?" Sasuke's heart clenched a little bit.

"I don't know." He said.

The blonde woman looked at him in tense disbelief. "How can you not know? _You're _the one who owns her."

"Not anymore apparently." He snapped at her without thinking. He mentally berated himself for talking like this to his superiors, but the rage inside of him needed an outlet. "Cain owns her now."

Tsunade gaped at him, and Sasuke heard Naruto making loud noises of disbelief in the background. "That's impossible!" The Hokage exclaimed.

The Uchiha shook his head. "I don't know how they did it, but I can't get to her."

It was obvious from the look on the Hokage's face that she was worried about her pupil, but it was also clearly evident that she was pissed. Sasuke didn't blame her. The bond between he and Sakura was their best chance of finding her since the tracking animals hadn't been able to. Now that lead was gone, and they were back to doing it the old fashioned way.

Suddenly, Tsunade looked at them with her most authoritative face. The three ninjas, out of pure reflex, snapped to attention.

"I'm giving you three an A-Class mission to be completed at all costs. You are to join in the search for Haruno Sakura and bring her back to the village. In addition, I want Cain dead. Understood?" The three shinobi gave a curt nod. "Be ready to leave in half an hour. Move out!"

The three shinobi disappeared, and Sasuke teleported with a _poof_ back to his bedroom. He dressed quickly in his proper Jounin attire, having no doubt that Kakashi and Naruto would do the same. He hadn't liked showing up in front of his peers in only a pair of pants, but necessity called for it. He tightened his hitai-ate around his forehead, sparing a glance back down to his bed and the tangled sheets there. He hadn't changed sheets since she left, and every time he turned towards her side of the bed her apple scented shampoo had him reaching out instinctively. Of course, when he opened his eyes, no one was there. Only two nights without her and he had already felt the loss.

He forcibly turned away, reminding himself that there were more pressing matters than getting caught up in memories. He made his way down to the kitchen to seal food into scrolls. He didn't know how long he'd be gone, but he intended to find her, no matter how long that took. He put that scroll in a pocket in his flak jacket, next to the scrolls of weapons. He grabbed his weapons pouch on the way out the door and took to the roofs as soon as he stepped outside.

He arrived at the front gates fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. Growling with impatience, the Uchiha prepared himself for the agonizing task of waiting. He tried to find _anything_ else to think about to distract him, but it seemed like all trains of thought led right back to pink hair and green eyes.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long. It hadn't even been five minutes after he'd arrived that Sasuke felt the presence of his two teammates coming towards him. They appeared before him, looking determined and pissed that one of their own had been taken. Kakashi gave out radios, and Sasuke put his on hurriedly, setting it to the right frequency. On this line, he could hear the rest of the searching teams, who had covered a little bit of the surrounding area already.

The three shinobi took to the trees, Sasuke's Kusanagi sword practically begging to be used at his hip.

It didn't have long to wait, because Sasuke, too, thirsted for blood.

**.**

**.**

Sakura glared at the men walking in front of her. Her muscles were still shaky from the torture not twelve hours before, but at least she had mostly returned to full strength. Of course, there wasn't anything she could do with her strength anyway. She couldn't attack Cain, and she was pretty sure that he would stop her if she attempted to kill anyone else.

The second he'd got her on her feet, they had evacuated their headquarters to change locations. The bastard made her walk, too, despite the fact that she could barely move. He'd made her run to catch up with him when she fell behind, and by the time they'd reached the new headquarters Sakura had been out of breath and ready to collapse. This was her predicament now, as she was forced to follow Cain and the old fart through the halls of their new headquarters.

She didn't feel right calling it a lair, since she associated that word with Orochimaru's hideouts. Of course, Cain's was remarkably nicer than the two hideouts of Orochimaru's that Sakura had ever been in. This one was above ground. It wasn't as big as his mansion on Seaweed Island, but it was sizable.

_The interior decorating is definitely a man's doing_, Sakura thought to amuse herself.

They stopped in front of a door and continued their talking. Cain chanced a glance at his recent possession and Sakura turned her glare higher. He stopped talking with the old man to scowl at her.

"Wipe that glare off your face."

Sakura glared for another moment before recognizing the pins and needles sensation in the back of her skull that told her she was about to get punished if she resisted. She lifted her hand, dragging it over her face just because she knew it would annoy him. When her hand passed over a facial feature, the evidence of a glare was gone to be replaced by a neutral expression. She was sure she still had the spark of hate in her eyes though. One thing he couldn't do was to tell her how to feel.

Cain glared at her for being such a smart-ass, and Sakura smirked. She'd said it in regards to Sasuke, too, but there was no way she was going to make this easy on him. She was going to do whatever she could to find loopholes and exploit them. She hadn't been able to do as much with Sasuke because she hadn't known the rules then. Now, though…

The three of them entered Cain's office, and Sakura sat on the couch as ordered, looking out the window. She still didn't know where she was, but it was closer to the coast than their last location. The breeze was too warm and too humid to be coming from anywhere but the ocean. The usual salty smell was gone though, so Sakura estimated she was no more than half a day's travel inland. The lush forest suggested she was still in Fire Country, but there were the same types of forests for miles outside of the Land of Fire. If she had to guess it would probably be in Hot Springs Country right now, and if not then right on the border of Hot Springs and Fire.

Sakura slanted her eyes to the man Cain was currently talking to. They were speaking in hushed tones so that Sakura couldn't make out what they were saying. _Wise,_ Sakura thought, because if she knew then she would figure out the quickest way to get that information to Konoha, punishments be damned. Sakura watched as the sky grew darker, reds and oranges spilling over the sky. She wanted to curl into a ball. More to the point, she wanted to curl up with Sasuke. Why had she moved out again? Independence? The mere thought had her Inner chastising her, reminding her that she could be getting ready to turn in with the Uchiha right beside her, but no. Her stubbornness was the direct cause of her current predicament.

"Sakura." Cain snapped. Said woman rolled her eyes to him tiredly and annoyed. For a man who had gotten what he wanted, he was being awfully waspish. She took an inner delight when he glared at her. "You will go to my room, shower, and then be in bed in an hour."

Sakura was thrilled when her body didn't respond, since it had no idea where his room was. Cain realized this with a long-suffering sigh. "Up one floor, second door to the left."

Her body began to move at that point, but she kept her face absolutely expressionless. He was counting on controlling her through her emotions, and the medic was going through great lengths to make sure that didn't happen. She went to the room he'd said, her feet carrying her straight to the bathroom. She pointedly ignored the churning in her stomach at the sight of the bed in her peripheral vision. That was one thing she didn't want to think about just now.

Sakura was in the shower minutes later, hissing as the hot water hit her new piercing. The skin around it still looked red and angry, and the medic in Sakura reminded her that it would become infected soon if nothing was done to treat it. She was going to praise Sasuke if—**when**, her Inner insisted—she ever got out of this. A necklace had been the best possible option for Sakura's lifestyle, and Sasuke had taken that into consideration. Of course, Sakura reminded herself, he'd all but tricked her into putting it on. Cain was direct, and didn't care about her lifestyle because he was forcing her out of it.

Sakura turned the water off with an angry snap of her wrist, drying herself off with jerky movements. Not for the first time, she realized just how much she wanted Cain dead, and to see him suffer greatly in the process. In the mirror, she stared at the sliver of metal in her stomach, scoffing. The fire inside of her ebbed a bit to numbness, feeling along the smooth, ugly metal. How gaudy.

A tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away quickly. It was all she needed for Cain to waltz in at that moment and see her crying, nevermind that she was only wearing a towel at that point. _I want to go home…_

A sudden calmness swept over her, and she knew it wasn't hers. It wasn't Cain's either, because she could feel when he reached out to her. On the trip here, he'd gotten a nasty surprise when Inner Sakura had forced his slimy, rotten presence out of her mind.

Her skin grew warm, and Sakura imagined herself leaning into it. She knew that there wasn't anyone with her, so she must have looked strange letting her eyes flutter shut and turning towards what she imagined was _him_. Only he could make her feel like this…safe even while she was alone in enemy territory. Sakura let out a breathy sigh and mentally imagined herself curling up next to him, feeling her skin pleasantly tingle at the thought.

She allowed a slight smile to grace her lips. "Sasuke…"

Not seconds after his name was out of her mouth, she felt the comforting presence ripped away from her, leaving her feeling mentally naked. A horrible pain shot through her body and she bent over and vomited right there in the sink. Her limbs shook and she sank down to the floor when her knees gave out. The bile sank back to its place, but that didn't leave her feeling any less sick. Her stomach still raged and she took deep breaths to no avail.

She didn't know how long she stayed heaped on the floor, but she only moved when her orders to get into bed tugged a warning that her hour was almost up. She'd better get dressed then. It wouldn't do her any good to be forced to bed wearing only a towel.

**.**

**.**

Sasuke let out a sigh that was laced with frustration. He'd gotten a feeling he hadn't been able to shake, and for a minute it felt like Sakura. It felt like she was trying to reach out to him, but when he mentally reached back there was nothing but air. It was strange, but _something_ had just happened there. He'd been eerily calm, and to feel that scared, ghost of a presence nestle into him…Then again maybe he was just imagining things. It had disappeared too quickly to be anything significant.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, wondering why his pupil had just stopped on a tree branch. They had scoured the area and there hadn't been any progress. None of the males on Team 7 needed extra encouragement to push themselves beyond their limit to search for her…so to witness Sasuke just stop like that…all of the sudden…

"We need to head east." The Uchiha said, though Kakashi noted that the statement lacked Sasuke's usual authoritative confidence.

"What?" Naruto screeched, dropping down from a branch above them. "Did you talk to her? Did she tell you where she was? Is Sakura-chan okay?"

"Dobe." Sasuke snapped, his earlier frustration leaking into his agitation. "I don't know. I still can't…"

The Copy-Cat Ninja stared for a moment at Sasuke. He noticed Sasuke's clenched hands and tense muscles, but it was his eyes that convinced the silver-haired ninja. There was something uncertain there that was so out of place when it came to the boy before him. Something indescribable shot through with longing. Kakashi didn't know what had just happened, but it was obvious Sasuke had just felt _something_, even if he didn't know what it was.

"Then we'll head east." Two pairs of eyes turned seriously in his direction. "Move out."

And they were gone.

**.**

**.**

The bit of sleep had been nice, but that was until a rustling had sent her catapulting awake. Even though her back was turned, she could already tell Cain was crawling into bed with her. It was his slimy presence that gave him away, and his proximity made her feel like she needed to vomit again.

Which is why she shot up and did her best to get away from him. He seemed to have sensed it, because his hand wrapped around her and dragged her next to his body.

"Don't move." He ground out. Sakura cursed his luck, since her next move was to pry his hand off of her body with her chakra-laden strength. She shivered when it felt like there was a crawling sensation over her body. Thankfully, her back was to him or else he'd probably have punished her when she silently gagged.

Before Sakura even realized what was happening, Inner Sakura had already forcefully shoved him out of her mind. She felt the man behind her jerk in surprise and awarded herself a small moment of victory before she found herself flat on her back, the hand squeezing at her neck making it difficult for her to breathe.

"You're _not_ going to make this difficult for me. I worked _too _hard for this."

Sakura glared at him, not moving thanks to his command. Otherwise, she would have spat in his face. Then she realized that he didn't tell her that she couldn't speak so she (stupidly) growled at him and told him to go to Hell.

The backhanded slap he gave her was worth it.

She knew he saw the amusement in her eyes because his nostrils flared and he looked just about ready to stab her with a kunai. Suddenly, he closed his eyes and took a calming breath that did absolutely nothing to calm him down. Instead, he dropped back down against her side and pulled her close against him.

"Sleep. Now." He grit out.

Sakura almost wished he'd knifed her.

When she woke up the next morning, he was gone, and for the first time that night she allowed herself a sigh of relief. It had been a restless night, trapped into a forced sleep when all her body wanted to do was wake up and run for it. She even felt groggier and more tired than she had when the night begun. This…it felt nothing like when Sasuke had made her sleep the very first night with her necklace on. She'd lain there so paranoid and afraid, and then he coaxed her to sleep through the bond. Waking up now made her feel drugged and sluggish.

Sakura listened for a moment, only moving when she was confident Cain wasn't anywhere in his suite. She walked into the bathroom, and paused at the note taped to the mirror.

_Come down to breakfast in the dining room at 9._

Sakura snorted out a laugh. He obviously didn't know as much as he thought he did. He hadn't put his name at the bottom, so Sakura had no way of knowing who the note was from. The bond, she'd learned, was very specific. True, he'd phrased it as a command, but otherwise Sakura could pick out at least one loophole. Since he hadn't put his name, the bond wasn't pushing her to be there at 9 at all. The command had to come directly from the owner, and obviously Cain had trouble figuring out he could command her telepathically without stepping inside of her mind.

It was almost funny how Sasuke and Cain had adapted to the bond in completely different ways. Sasuke practically had it mastered though he knew his limits, Cain thought he'd mastered it but struggled. At first, Sakura hadn't known what it had felt like to have Sasuke inside of her head. He'd never been intrusive before, so her subconscious never bothered except when he'd gotten too close. After the first time he'd been kicked out, Sasuke could step in her mind and would wisely step out before Inner Sakura had the chance to force him. It wasn't until she'd been chained against a wall that she associated the prickle of awareness in the back of her mind to be associated with their mental link. And even in that situation, Sakura had wanted him to stay so badly in the end so she wouldn't be alone.

Though perhaps Inner Sakura had been indifferent to Sasuke because she really didn't see him as much of a threat. It was all Cain could do to get a toe into her mind before he was shoved out, a fact that had frustrated him to no end.

Sakura suspected it had something to do with the way they were taught about the ownership. The man who had originally performed the jutsu for Sasuke seemed like he had gone over everything in depth. The man who had done it for Cain sounded like he was only in it for the money. And they weren't the same person, Sakura had known that thanks to Sasuke. When he'd been inside her mind, looking at the two men holding her prisoner, there hadn't been any recognition except towards Cain. In fact, there had been confusion since Sasuke had been sure that the man in Earth was the only one left who could do it.

Sakura shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She did her business and exited the bathroom, sitting on the window seat and watching what she was she was almost sure was Hot Springs Country. It had to be…Well, okay, she was 60 percent sure it was.

She looked around the room, going through the drawers and scanning the books for any idea of a location. But, sadly, it was such an impersonal room that she came up with absolutely nothing. She even checked behind and under furniture for secret hiding places. Nothing. Of course, she didn't expect a map with a big "you are here" sticker on it, but some little clue would have been nice.

She didn't even realize that 9:00 had come and gone until she looked at the clock, mentally laughing behind a twinge of anxiety. Sure, she'd told herself she was going to make this difficult for him, but that pain last night…not even Sasuke in his cruelest moment was that cruel. Sakura even considered herself having a relatively high tolerance for pain.

Sakura sat back down on the window seat, content to watch birds fly by and look at what were presumably "stealthy" ninja mercenaries moving throughout the forest. Honestly, if they wanted to go unnoticed they wouldn't shake the whole tree like that…

The door opened with a noise that had Sakura cringing. She whipped her head around to see Cain standing in the doorway looking absolutely livid.

This time, he didn't have to order her not to move. Her fear locked down her muscles for her.

**.**

**.**

"Where is she?" Sasuke grit out, barely managing to fit the syllables through his clenched teeth. For emphasis, he grabbed the man's shirt collar and shook him a little bit. Of course, the man was already scared, seeing Sasuke's Sharingan spin angrily was enough to fell even the greatest, but the poor missing nin was shaking to much to do anything more than babble.

They'd come across an area that had been teeming with mercenaries and missing nin. It had been a sign of hope that they had found Sakura, since who needed this much ninja protection other than a relative civilian like Cain? The man who was currently hovering six inches above the ground was the first man they had captured that Sasuke hadn't beaten into unconsciousness. Though, to be fair, Naruto and Kakashi had been doing their own ass kickings. Not all of the bodies on the ground were from Sasuke's pent up anger.

"I don't know who you're talking about!" The man finally choked out.

"Bullshit."

"I swear!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, feeling zero remorse as a tear slipped down the man's cheek. He bared his teeth, ready to make the man in front of him feel about as significant as a pebble, when Kakashi chimed in.

"I tell you what," The Jounin began almost jovially, and his demeanor seemed to scare the missing nin almost as much as Sasuke. "Tell us where Cain is or else we'll kill you…slowly." He ended with what was obviously a smile under his mask.

"I don't know anyone named Cain." When Naruto joined in Sasuke's glaring, the man sobbed. "Honest!"

Kakashi decided to speak again, since he doubted his pupils were feeling particularly talkative. "Then what are you guarding?"

"Drugs…?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

"Drugs." The man said, managing to make it sound less like a question. "We get them from Lightning and ship them down here. We just got into the country yesterday." His voice still trembled, but he didn't look like he was going to wet himself anymore.

"Let him go, Sasuke." Kakashi said, sounding a bit tired. "He obviously doesn't know anything."

Sasuke dropped the man, watching as his weak knees gave out under him and he plopped into a pathetic heap on the ground, sprawling back and barely managing to catch himself with his hands.

"We'll keep looking. Sakura has to be close. Someone has to have spotted a girl with pink hair."

"Oh, that girl?" The man on the ground asked. He almost regretted it when three pairs of eyes turned towards him, three eyes bearing the legendary Sharingan. He scrambled back when Sasuke took one threatening step towards him. "Wait a minute! Wait! Our group passed theirs on the road."

"Do you know where they were headed?" Kakashi asked.

The man shook his head. "No, but I can tell you which direction they were travelling, and I can get you to the road." His voice ended in a squeak when he found a sword digging uncomfortably into his neck by the one man in the group he probably feared the most.

Blood red eyes stared at him. "Talk."

**.**

**.**

In the end, Sakura sat in the dining room and watched Cain eat. He wasn't giving her anything for today, but Sakura found that she couldn't bring herself to mind. After the punishment he'd put her through—the pain that felt like acid tearing through her body—she felt that any food given to her would make her physically ill…again. The pain had forced her to throw up, and Cain seemed to relish that he could make her hurt that much. Even the sight of him eating made her take calming breaths to soothe her stomach.

The calmness from before had vanished, only to be replaced with a…stirring. Sakura couldn't pick out any one emotion, but this new sensation was making her anxious. The feeling wasn't from Cain, because she could feel his anger and frustration quite clearly through the bond. She wanted to believe that it was Sasuke, but she had tried reaching out to him so many times that she'd convinced herself the bond between them really had been severed.

"Sakura." Cain snapped to get her attention. "You will never disobey me again."

The medic sighed in frustration when she felt the command embed itself into her brain. She had to lower her head so that he couldn't see her glassy eyes. That pretty much erased any escape route she had planned, since most of them centered around loopholes in the bond. She was going to have to tough it out until someone got here to rescue her, a fact that made her almost curl her lip in disgust. She wanted to be the one to save herself, for once. Though, Sakura had to admit while looking at the man adjacent to her, she hoped it was Sasuke that would rescue her. He was the one most likely to mutilate Cain beyond recognition. Naruto and Kakashi would spill blood, and Sakura couldn't imagine any of the other teams sent out to look for her would kill the man. He'd probably be carted off to jail to wait for his execution. Sakura snorted under her breath. He didn't even deserve to live that long.

Unfortunately, Cain took her incredulous snort as an act as defiance, something Sakura didn't even realize until the pins and needles feeling had spread from the back of her mind to her fingertips. Green eyes turned to the man a little horrified and confused.

Cain contemplated her for a moment before lifting the punishment, apparently in a better mood than he was earlier. He stood. "Meet me in here for dinner at seven. You will not eat anything until then."

Sakura glared at him, managing to hold onto it when he glared back and she felt his anger through the bond. Feeling his emotions like this felt like touching something undesirable. It had been different with Sasuke. She'd always been aware of him, but Sasuke never pushed anything at her. In fact, his emotions felt more like a flicker in her mind. Feeling Cain like this…Sakura wanted to gag.

When she was finally released, the kunoichi retreated to the backyard. She sat on a bench outside and watched the mercenaries that Cain had hired move throughout the trees. It was sad, Sakura thought, that she could count them and knew their exact locations. They weren't even attempting to mask their chakra, the lousy bit that they had. Most of them were Chuunin level, a couple Jounin, and none any higher than that. She could escape no problem if it weren't for the fact that Cain had already thought ahead and ordered her not to leave the villa grounds.

So Sakura elected to throw rocks at the men in the trees, hoping it would relieve some of her frustrations. Mostly it didn't, because even Chuunin could dodge, but she did manage to hit one in the nose, so that made her spirits lift a bit.

Bored of that, Sakura decided to give herself a tour of the villa. She wanted to know her surroundings a bit better in case she could escape somehow. Not to mention, despite being an evil bastard, Cain's villa was actually interesting, with guards outside of rooms Sakura was almost dying to peer in. What could he have stashed there that was so important? Her mind immediately went to drugs, but she doubted that Cain would keep a stash so out in the open, even if it was in the middle of nowhere surrounded by guards and mercenaries. No, this wing was more often used than the others. That room was important for something else.

She ended up in the library, not seeing anything else suspicious throughout the villa. She didn't really expect to find anything, though, so she looked around at his books and tried to see if there was anything that might tell her where she was. Naturally there was nothing, and Sakura had to pout and blow her bangs out of her face in frustration. Cain was a good criminal, she'd give him that. Then again, she considered herself to be an excellent kunoichi, so the fact that she was having a bit of trouble wasn't going to deter her.

She felt a sharp pinch at the back of her mind and winced, biting her tongue and drawing blood. There were no words inside her head, just the impression that Cain wanted her to come to him, and that he was in the dining room. Sakura looked out the windows and saw that it was getting dark. She frowned, realizing she'd been wandering around longer than she thought. Had another whole day passed already? She knew that finding her would take some time, but Konoha had some of the best trackers on the continent. The fact that no one had come for her yet was starting to worry her a bit.

Then again, maybe she was just impatient because she wanted away from Cain so badly.

She walked as slow as she could, going a speed that would get her there just in time to piss Cain off but not fast enough to make him send out another sign that she needed to come. She had to smile when she reached the dining room and saw Cain looking a little surly sitting behind an empty plate and several lit candles. True, he had threatened her if she made his ownership difficult, but she couldn't see another way around it, since she refused to submit to him.

She had planned that with Sasuke, too…to make it so difficult on him. That had never come about though, since Sasuke had never outright abused his ownership like Cain was doing. Sasuke hadn't even used his power over her much, and never for really significant things.

"Sit." Cain ordered, and Sakura felt her feet carry her to the seat to Cain's left. He sat at the head of a long table, which unfortunately meant that Sakura was at the perfect vantage point to see him in the corner of her eye throughout the meal. Hopefully she didn't lose her supper because of it.

The meal was served, and Sakura heard her stomach rumble. She was finally getting to eat…

"I was told you've been wandering around the villa all day." Cain mentioned, almost cordially, as she lifted a bite of meat to her mouth.

Sakura paused, and decided to give him an honest answer for once. "Just curious," she said, shrugging.

The man to her right didn't say anything for a moment, as if he was scrutinizing her answer to see if she was lying. Of course, all he had to do was order her to tell him the whole truth and not just a vague answer, but Sakura wasn't about to prompt him.

"They're not coming for you, you know." Cain said calmly.

Apple green eyes narrowed. "What makes you say that?"

"Konoha won't risk angering such a large cartel, like the one I run." He looked too smug, and Sakura wanted so badly to hit him. "I have too many connections for them to risk it."

This time, it was Sakura's turn to look smug. "You think far too highly of yourself."

She heard a growl, but it was laughable compared to Sasuke's. When the last Uchiha growled, you did whatever you could to try and escape his wrath. Cain's was almost cute in a sense that it was funny he thought he was intimidating at all.

A meaty hand grabbed her wrist lying on the table, and the medic grit her teeth when she heard a few bones pop. "I told you not to make this difficult."

"I'm not making it difficult." Sakura said. "I'm just telling you facts. Konoha's involvement with cartels is the least of their concern. It might not be such a big deal if I was a civilian, but you chose to kidnap the Hokage's apprentice, dumbass. They're coming."

He growled again and the hand around her wrist yanked, and Sakura's body toppled towards the floor. She saw it coming, but Sakura could do nothing since the bond kept her from physically harming him. She could try and catch herself though, so she twisted her body so that she could get both hands on the floor. Unfortunately, twisting her body put her head far too close to the leg of the table, and her temple fell hard on the claw foot.

Sakura's vision swam for a moment, and blood rushed to her head to concentrate around the wound and, as a result, all she could hear was a low hum. She laid on the floor for a solid minute, trying to will the sensation away and failing.

Abruptly, Cain stood up, his rather large chair toppling over in his haste. Sakura turned her eyes towards him, expecting another painful reprimand for her language, but she saw something completely opposite. Cain was shouting at her, looking quite murderous, but there was a twinge of panic in his eyes that made Sakura freeze. He was trying to order her, she realized as she felt the first tugs from the bond, but she couldn't hear him. Couldn't hear the command, which meant…

_If you can't hear his command, you don't have to do what he says._

Of course! How could she have been so stupid? How could she have forgotten that book in the Hokage's library? She had never used it except for the time she'd gotten Sasuke drunk, and because she'd never really needed it she'd forgotten about it entirely. What did the rest of that entry say, though? Something about chakra…

Sakura could faintly make out variations in the humming, which meant that she was steadily getting her hearing back. Instinct, not conscious thought, pushed her chakra upwards and focused it around her eardrums, artificially recreating the even hum from earlier.

The kunoichi stood up, looking as amazed as Cain was furious. She realized he was still shouting what the bond was telling her were orders, but she couldn't hear them…couldn't hear a damn thing. A giggle escaped her mouth before it became a full-fledged laugh. She gave her present owner before jumping towards the door. Before she could reach the double doors, both of the doors burst inward and four guards appeared. Sakura felt the extent of her freedom as she fought them, uninhibited by any restraints.

Cain had been foolish. He'd never ordered her to restrict her super human strength, confident that she would never be able to hurt him. It was exhilarating, being able to really fight and let loose. She sent one of the guards flying through the doorway with a punch. She felt another's ribs crack with a kick. She'd found her loophole, and she wasn't going to let a bunch of low-level missing-nin take her chance away from her.

Unfortunately, she learned that having her hearing meant that she was also missing one of the main senses she relied on in a fight. She couldn't hear the man with the cracked ribs pick himself up off a broken vase and make his way behind her. It was too late that she felt his presence.

Sakura tried to jump, but a well-aimed kick in the center of her back sent her hard into the dining table. The blow had momentarily knocked the breath from her, so she struggled to breathe and found that more compelling than trying to stay standing at the moment. She grabbed the tablecloth with the intent of giving herself something to latch onto to keep stable—there were so many heavy dishes and vases on the table, she was hoping they would keep it in place—but it slipped with her weight. She couldn't hear the glass dishes falling and breaking, but she could see something decidedly worse.

The several candles on the table fell hard onto the tablecloth, igniting the fabric instantly. Sakura scrambled up to avoid the growing flames and to avoid another blow from a guard, cussing when she realized that more guards were filtering in as reinforcements.

Once more, the kunoichi lost herself in the midst of fighting, ignoring everything except for her instincts. She managed to catch a glimpse of Cain, who was red with fury and shouting. Sakura was flung to the side and hit a doorframe, having to duck to the side to avoid an oncoming blow.

There was a sudden orange tint to the room, and Sakura looked around her while fighting to locate the source. The tablecloth had mostly burned itself out, except sparks had caught on the curtains and a few vases of fake plants, igniting those as well. The pink haired medic knew she was going to have to get out of here soon. The delicate fabric of the drapes burned _fast_, and there were a lot of windows in the room.

Sakura leapt across the room through the fifteen or so other people in the room, feeling the heat on her back as she did so. She dove into the hallway, and the wind that she created carried sparks from the flame with her, catching fire to a decorative book placed on an accent table in the hall. Sakura turned, prepared to fight again, but saw a horde of new reinforcements coming to greet her. She steeled herself and grabbed the now burning accent table, flinging it at the group to slow them down a bit. She didn't want to retreat, but that's what she was going to have to do for the moment. Even with her increased strength she couldn't fight thirty or more missing nin—who were advanced ninja in their own right—with just her fists. She didn't have the chakra to kill them all that way, so she was going to have to find weapons and fast.

She practically leapt around a corner to go to the room she had seen guarded earlier. Surely it was guarded because it kept something significantly important, and she was hoping those important things happened to be sharp. Since she needed to be particularly alert, Sakura allowed herself to have her hearing back. She managed to steal an ear bud from a rather weak guard, so she could hear their movements. They were frantically searching for her, yelling to clear the east wing as it was almost all engulfed in fire. What she most paid attention to was Cain's movements, since the guards were yelling to protect him, shouting his location a few times. Although she'd toured the villa, she didn't really know where he was, but Sakura knew he wasn't near her, so that's all that mattered.

It was easy getting up to the room, since there were plenty of spaces and rooms she could duck into when she heard footsteps coming around the corner. Though even with her hearing this was a slight problem, as the constant commotion from around her and the voices in her ear made it a little difficult to focus.

Sakura paused at a corner, peeking her head around to see the two guards at the room. Only one of them was left, and he looked decidedly nervous about having to stay inside a burning building with an enemy on the loose. Good, he would be easy pickings then.

There was no sneaking up to him, so Sakura just charged as fast as she could to knock him out. He didn't make any noise except a strangled gasp, which was unfortunate because it let on to her location. She'd heard the gasp in her own ear bud, and then immediately heard the shouts of guards who recognized where it came from.

Quickly and without checking for alarms or traps, Sakura kicked the lock on the door and broke it. An alarm immediately went off, red lights flashing throughout the corridor, but it made little difference as her position had already been given away. She almost teared up out of anger and frustration when the only things inside the room were barrels and barrels of what looked to be expensive alcohol. She shut the door out of reflex and nudged the unconscious guard onto his stomach with her foot. She grabbed his weapons pouch and was looking inside when she heard a rather large group of guards making their way towards her, so she begun to sprint in the opposite direction.

She ducked into a door and found a stairwell, pausing in a niche where she wouldn't be seen and evaluating the contents of the weapons pouch. Three kunai and a single shuriken. She was going to have to make this work.

The only thing Cain had given her to change into was a dress, so Sakura had opted to clean her pajamas from when they'd kidnapped her and wear those. The t-shirt and spandex shorts were easier to move in than anything else, though she did accept a bra when offered. She strapped the weapons pouch to her waist, and heard a commotion coming up the stairs. She gave a stealthy look over the banister, reaching into the pouch silently for a kunai. There were seven of them. More than she would have liked, but nothing she couldn't handle.

When the time was right, the kunoichi jumped in front of the group, making sure to land above them so that they would have to charge at her up stairs. They looked surprised for a moment before attacking, but Sakura had already lunged with the kunai before they had even gotten their weapons out. She killed two in a heartbeat and took another one with an angry thrust after he nicked her arm with a short sword. She took a blow to the stomach before gutting another.

Sakura slipped on a pool of blood and jumped to the landing below, killing two more on the way down. There was only one more standing, and he frantically shouted out her location and that she could hear their movements through the ear bud before he died at her hands as well.

The medic stood and panted for a moment, and she noted the odd silence over the ear bud frequency. There was a bit of static that sounded more like rustling before it stopped.

"Sakura," Cain's voice came on the ear bud curtly. Immediately, chakra rushed to plug her ears so fast that she got dizzy and fell to her knees. Sakura yanked the device out of her ear and squashed it with a well-aimed blow.

Since her ears were still out of use, she had no idea there was someone looking over the banister at her until the kunai fell inches from her body. Green eyes snapped up, and she threw the bloody kunai in her hand at the nin. It hit him in the chest and he fell over the banister and onto the stairs, landing on his neck. He wouldn't be bothering her anytime soon.

The medic drained her ears of the chakra and heard the door above her opening. It didn't sound like a group, so she stood and waited, watching for any sign of an attack. She reached into the weapons pouch and her fingers touched the shuriken first, so that's what she threw at him when he came around the corner.

Sakura took the door behind her and warily entered the hallway. Two guards were running towards her with rather angry looking spiked bludgeons, so she was forced to use the last of her kunai on those two since she couldn't get them close for hand-to-hand combat.

Thankfully, Sakura knew about where she was. She would be able to literally walk right out the front door in just a quick run from here. That was fortunate since she was growing tired. She had a decent amount of chakra left, so she wasn't really worried about that. Unfortunately, she was going to have to use a lot of that chakra now that her weapons were gone.

She moved through the hallway for a bit, noticing it was growing uncomfortably warm. The fire was spreading, though she couldn't see any of it yet. She could hear the non-shinobi screaming down the hallways, and Sakura shivered at the horror that carried. Sakura wondered how much of the villa was left.

She didn't have time to wonder past that, as a shinobi rounded the corner and spotted her. He unsheathed a sword and Sakura looked around for anything to use in order to counter. There was a ceremonial sword hanging a little ways down the hall, but she would have to run towards the man to get to it. And that's what she steeled herself to do, especially since he came running at her first and she was left with very little choice. She pushed chakra to the bottom of her feet and just as she was almost within stabbing distance, she jumped to the wall and grabbed the sword. She felt a sharp pain along her ribs as the nin got in a lucky hit, and winced when she realized it was deep enough to make her nervous. She ran a bit more along the wall before grounding herself a few feet behind him.

She held a ceremonial sword that wasn't meant for bloodshed, so it wouldn't hold up to very much. Still, it was better than nothing. The nin swung at her before she was really ready, so all she could do was roll to the side to avoid what would have been fatal. She hissed when the slash on her side pulled and stung, and vowed she was going to end this fight quickly.

She parried a blow and watched in horror as her sword cracked. She jumped out of the way and allowed her sword to fall under his, but then brought it up and slashed along his neck quickly. He dropped with a gurgling sound and the medic immediately took the slight reprieve to create a scab over the wound. It already had bled more than she would have liked.

She made her way to the main stairs, knowing it was stupid to go out the main way but not caring at the moment. Of course, maybe the guards figured she would never take this way out and were leaving it alone. Then again, that was over thinking it a bit, and would require more luck than she had at the moment. She broke into a run when she saw the top of the twin curved stairs, and took the one closest to her.

Sakura stopped running so quickly that she nearly overbalanced. Cain stood in the grand foyer between her and her exit, looking none too happy about the screams of his staff or the spreading fire that was consuming his villa. He especially didn't look happy at the katana clutched in her hand, and he probably recognized it as a ceremonial sword that had been hanging in one of the hallways. Nevertheless, the decorative weapon was now dripping red with the blood from one of his guards.

"You!" He barked. The kunoichi recognized this as the voice he used when he was about to give her an order, so she quickly blocked her ears with chakra. Turning her eyes away so that she wouldn't be able to lip-read his command. When she didn't sense movement in her peripheral vision anymore, she dared to look back at him, satisfied when anger and disbelief controlled his features.

"How?" He asked. "It's impossible for you to disobey me!"

Sakura cocked her head and glared at him. "Apparently there are more loopholes with this ownership thing than anyone imagined." She slowly descended the stairs, not liking all the openings at her back. She would rather be on the ground floor with Cain than at the top with her back to entrances to two hallways. "And really, it's your own fault. If you hadn't made me hit my head I would never have remembered it."

Cain's fingers clenched at his sides, and he looked like he was concentrating on something. Sakura felt her blood quiver in her veins and feared the worst, but the ripping pain of punishment never came. In fact, his presence trying to push its way into her mind disappeared entirely.

The man before her let out a loud, vile curse. "How?"

Even Sakura didn't know that one. From the scroll about the loopholes, there wasn't anything about avoiding punishments, except getting someone drunk, and Sakura doubted even Cain was stupid enough to get himself drunk in a situation like this. Of course, she had underestimated his stupidity before and that had gotten her drugged and nearly drowned.

"Have you been drinking?" Sakura asked, actually curious.

He have her an incredulous look that implied she was absolutely stupid. So she had been right, he wasn't stupid enough to drink, and he hadn't had wine at dinner. Of course he could be too angry or distracted to focus giving a punishment, but his emotional control (or lack thereof) had never been a problem before when he really wanted to punish her. Actually come to think of it, Cain had been surprisingly mellow at breakfast, after he'd punished her enough to make her get sick in front of him. He had almost punished her when she snorted at breakfast, but had been lenient and let her get away with it. Even at dinner, he could have been a lot worse than he was. And now…he was mad, but nowhere near as mad as she'd ever seen him. As a medic, there was something that made complete sense.

"You're taking medicine." Sakura stated, watching him closely for a reaction. "To keep from getting angry…at me." Cain went very still, and Sakura knew she was right. It made sense. That sort of medicine altered chemicals in the brain and made people more balanced chemically, making people with anger disorders far less likely to fly off the handle. He probably took one after making her get sick, and it had already begun to work by the time she arrived at breakfast. If he took one right before dinner, it wouldn't have affected him until after she had fled. So right now, he was calmer than he ordinarily would be without medicine. "But why? You _hate_ me."

"I don't hate you." He said lowly.

"You tortured me! You kidnapped me and took me away from my _home_."

"I've been trying to make this bearable for you."

"Bearable? You hit me every chance you get, make me sleep with you…not to mention you almost killed me—what?—a few weeks ago?"

Cain narrowed his eyes at her. "I've never tried to kill you."

"Really?" Sakura asked, her turn to sound incredulous. "Because you looked awfully surprised to see me alive after I nearly drowned. I was pretty heavily drugged, but I do remember that."

"I was surprised that someone tried to kill you!"

"Someone who was following your orders!"

"I ordered them not to touch you. Someone went behind my back for your reward in the bingo book." Sakura still wasn't convinced. "The ownership thing works a little bit both ways doesn't it? Am I lying to you?"

"It doesn't work like that. And you've done everything wrong to make it _bearable_, bastard." She noticed the same stirring in her blood as before. "Punishing me won't work. The drugs are apparently inhibiting your ability."

"Come…"

Sakura sent chakra to her ears, but it wasn't enough. _Come _was still a command, even though he'd probably added _here_ to it. Sakura growled as she walked towards him, stopping before she was in his personal space. She didn't care if he punished her into a coma after this, this was as close as she was getting. Green eyes stayed glued to his chest though. She'd had enough practice with Uchiha Itachi not looking into his face, this was going to be a cakewalk.

With an inkling of an idea, Sakura steeled herself that nothing could hurt Cain, and her actions wouldn't hurt him. Then she sent the sword in her hand thrusting towards him. A mere centimeter before it pierced his skin, her body locked up and Sakura let out a cry of pain as the sensation of being stabbed with a thousand kunai took over. Sakura dropped the sword and dropped to her knees, holding her head. Why hadn't that worked? The scroll said you could hurt the owner if you didn't believe that you were really going to hurt him.

But that was the problem. Sakura _wanted_ to hurt him so badly that it had taken prevalence. Not to mention, she'd inwardly known that he was a civilian and anything would hurt him. Damn this!

A boot sent her sword skittering across the floor. It took a moment before Sakura realized that the pain ruined her concentration and that her hearing had come back. She tried to push it back towards her head, but it just shuddered under her mental touch. After such pain, she was going to feel weak for a little bit.

Cain crouched in front of her and his hand fisted in her hair, tugging it until she was looking directly at him. The calm look from before vanished to be replaced with nothing but seriousness. He opened his mouth and Sakura tried to plug her ears again, but she got the same reaction.

"You can believe whatever you want to believe, but I never ordered anyone to kill you and I _was_ trying to make this bearable with meds, but you've gone and ruined that for yourself. I don't think you understand the situation you're in…you're _mine_." And he shook her head for emphasis.

Sakura glared at him, bearing her teeth in what she hoped looked feral. "I will _never_ be yours, asshole."

He growled and proceeded to drag her by the hair to her fallen katana. Sakura wanted to use her monstrous strength to rip him away, but that would involve hurting him. She wanted to hurt him so, _so _badly.

Cain picked up the sword and clucked his tongue. "You cracked it. I really liked this sword."

Sakura felt the wetness against her side before she felt the pain, her wound from earlier had opened up again. In fact, Cain had dragged her over here in her own blood, if the streaks of red in her peripheral vision were to be believed.

"It's a shitty sword." Sakura told him, wincing. "Going to kill me with it?"

"No, I paid too much for you to kill you off so quickly. I'm just going to teach you a little lesson with it, since I can't do it any other way." He frowned. "But it will be a shame to scar that beautiful body of yours, so I'll just make you heal yourself when I'm done. Sound good?" He dropped her head roughly. "Lets start here," and he sliced a gash along her hip. Next came her thigh, and then a tiny one on her cheek.

Sakura tried to scramble away, even gave him a very powerful shove, but he merely looked at her and laughed. "Going somewhere?" He asked.

The kunoichi worked on getting to her feet, but only made it to her knees. The punishment for attacking him had done more harm than she expected, it hadn't even been this bad when she attacked Sasuke. But maybe, just maybe, she could send chakra to stimulate the flow of adrenaline. That would get her up in no time. She could already feel her chakra coming under her control. She could do this!

Cain stood and approached her, sword in hand. He shrugged nonchalantly as Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "This works too." He raised the katana and Sakura tensed.

Later, Sakura would have no idea where they had come from, as neither she nor Cain had noticed anything in their immediate surroundings. One moment, Cain was standing over her about to spill blood, and out of nowhere a rather large snake jumped at him and sunk its fangs into the man's arm. The mercenary reeled back, dropping the sword and staring at the cobra now rearing up protectively in front of Sakura and spreading out its neck threateningly. Another one reared up next to Sakura to look her in the eyes, and the medic gulped a little.

"_Is this the man, Haruno-san?" _The female cobra asked, drawing out all the S's. Sakura nodded, and the snake slithered in front of Sakura as well, almost laughing when a third cobra managed to sneak up behind Cain and bite his ankle.

"Sasuke…" Sakura whispered. These were his summons…he must have sent them to find her…

"_Can you run, Haruno-san?_" Asked a black mamba that slithered to protect her from who knows where.

"I think so." The medic stimulated her adrenal glands and almost immediately felt herself get more alert. She couldn't do it too much, considering her wounds, but it was enough to get her on her feet.

"_Bitch!_" Cain screamed, stumbling as the poison took effect. "Call them off!"

It was an order, so Sakura told the snakes to stop. They only hissed out a laugh at Cain, explaining that Sakura had no control over them. Sakura merely shrugged, and offered a mock apology.

Cain took a step in her direction, which didn't sit well with the female cobra. She lunged at Cain's neck and bit the artery there. It didn't take any time at all for the venom to reach Cain's brain and heart, and drop to the ground, dead.

The double front doors opened and a group of ten or so men ran through them, stopping abruptly at the sight of now six very poisonous snakes hissing at them. The green eyed kunoichi was surprised it wasn't more than that, but most likely the rest were smart enough not to run into a burning building.

"_Go!_" The female cobra hissed at Sakura. "_We'll take care of them!_"

Sakura nodded and limped up the stairs, the adrenaline not helping her move as fast as she would like. She made it halfway up the stairs when the battle below her began, and by the time she'd gotten halfway up the snakes had gotten reinforcements but so had the nin.

Sakura did an awkward run down the hall, stopping when the heat got too intense. She turned a corner and was met with a wall of flames, turning another corner until she was sure she was lost. Everything looked so much different when it was on fire. Finally, she ran upstairs and found an untouched corridor, making turns she just knew would lead her to the outside. If she could find a window, she could jump into the trees from here. There was a guard outside one of the doors, unconscious. Sakura knew where she was now, this is where Cain kept all his expensive alcohol. Good…she knew a way out from here.

Sakura turned and was met by the man who had cast the jutsu to make her Cain's possession.

The old man rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing Cain's dead?" He received no response. "Figures. I knew he wouldn't be able to hold you as soon as I saw you."

"Then why did you cast the jutsu?"

He raised an amused eyebrow. "Money, of course. I can charge whatever I want since I have the monopoly over the jutsu."

"What about…"

"Youju? I killed him a few weeks ago. He didn't charge as much, so everyone went to him. And, when you only get one customer every forty years, you want all the money you can get."

Sakura choked. "You almost threw away my life for _money_?" She growled.

He waved his hand like it wasn't a big deal. "Don't worry about it. Even better is now that Cain's dead, I can sell you back to that Uchiha kid."

"You will do no such thing!"

"Sure I can." And he reached into a coat pocket for a syringe. "Now just stay still."

"The building is on fire and you're going to drug me? We'll never make it out alive!"

He rolled his eyes again. "I'm stronger and faster than I look, sweetie."

Sakura clenched her fist, drawing chakra towards it. "So am I."

He walked towards her, which threw Sakura off guard for a moment. In that time, however, he was suddenly in her face and Sakura dove to the side, smashing her arm against a glass vase on an accent table. She grabbed one of the larger, sharper pieces and clutched it in her hand, ignoring the way it was causing her to bleed.

The man came at her again, and she swept his feet out from under him, jumping away just as he jabbed the syringe towards her leg. He rolled and got up quickly. Sakura kicked him in the hip and sent him flying backwards, feeling a sudden gush of heat at her back as flames rounded the corner and an eerie orange light filled the place.

There was a prickling sensation at her leg, and Sakura looked down to see a tiny dot the size of a needlepoint that was currently developing a small droplet of blood. The man grinned from the ground and waved the syringe at her tauntingly. A fourth was missing.

"When?"

"Like I said, stronger and faster than I—" The kunoichi didn't even let him finish, she directed chakra to her legs and made a sudden leap forward, slicing the man's neck and hearing only a gurgle. She panted harshly, her chakra reserves drained and her muscles feeling weak.

"Like _I_ said, so am I."

There was a gurgle of breath, and his last act was to jab the syringe into her other leg before dying. Sakura yanked it out, but she was already beginning to feel a bit sluggish. But she wouldn't let that stop her, she turned away from the wall of fire to see if there was some other way out, but there was already an orange glow growing steadily brighter from a corridor up ahead.

_No!_

Sakura turned again, and then discovered something a bit more alarming. The fire was fast approaching the room with the alcohol, carried by various paintings and strips of wallpaper on the walls. Sakura turned around again, looking for a way out, coughing as the fumes were finally getting to her. She couldn't do this for much longer, she thought with no small amount of alarm. Her head was getting foggier thanks to the drug and she only had enough chakra for maybe one punch. She started to run away from the door, but the smoke caused her to turn around and meet the blazing inferno that was far too powerful for her liking. It reached the doorframe and Sakura gave a sharp gasp, smoke filling her lungs.

Flames engulfed the door.

**.**

**.**

Uchiha Sasuke was running as fast as he could, not even caring that he was leaving his team behind. They were shouting at him through that damnable radio, to stay back, to wait for reinforcements. But he couldn't. Even when his mind hesitated in its decision to rush ahead, his feet never faltered, jumping from branch to branch without the slightest pause.

The forest grew thinner as they ventured further from Fire Country. They were getting close to the ocean, it seemed, from the telltale sign of moisture in the air. The radio was fizzling, his teammates voices crackling and coming in abruptly and cutting out again, a sign that he was going out of the two-mile range. He could still feel their presence though from the way they were pumping their chakra to try and catch up with him. It was useless, and Sasuke figured he wasn't the only one who knew that. The only way Naruto could go this fast was if he went into Sage mode, and he wasn't that desperate yet. And Kakashi was powerful, but not nearly as fast. No, Sasuke was too determined to reach his pink haired teammate to allow the other two to slow him down any.

Abruptly, the trees ended, and Sasuke leapt to the ground. He slid across the dirt and grass before managing to halt his momentum completely by rooting chakra through his feet and into the ground. Good thing, too, because had he gone any further he would have been thrown off of a rather tall cliff.

The vantage point from up here was excellent. He could even make out the well-hidden villa in the darkness, lights from the occupants inside still on even at this hour. He had been hoping to catch Cain, and more importantly the guards, asleep, but with all the adrenaline inside of him just itching for a release he could easily take them all at their sharpest.

But it was odd how quiet things seemed. Not that Sasuke expected every missing nin patrolling the place to be rustling branches or making loud noises as they moved, but something would be better than this. Even though Sasuke was a respectable distance, he was still very much out in the open, considering he was on top of a bare cliff with the moonlight illuminating absolutely everything. Genins should have been able to spot him if they were paying attention. Although now that he really focused, there didn't seem to be anyone around the villa. He didn't sense any of the missing nin Cain usually hired as bodyguards and, from his past experience with the man, Cain always had some sort of protective barrier of guards. He was too paranoid and to protective of his trade not to. So where were they?

The stillness made the Sharingan user wary. It seemed as though someone was expecting them and planning an ambush. For a moment, he thought maybe the man they'd gotten directions from had betrayed them, but that thought was dismissed quickly. The man had been a low class missing nin, and no way he had gotten to this place more hastily than one of the fastest shinobi alive. No, something else was at play here.

Sasuke reached out to Sakura, thinking maybe their physical proximity might strengthen or repair what had been undone. Of course, like he'd half suspected anyway, there was nothing. The man put his hand on his sword and fingered the hilt, in a way that he refused to admit was a slightly nervous gesture. He'd gotten so used to being aware of Sakura's whereabouts that having it taken away so suddenly left him feeling a bit lost. He knew she was strong. Knew that she had trained for years to be able to take care of herself, but that didn't stop him from wanting to rush to her aid. And she'd probably never planned to be controlled in her training. If Cain gave her an order, she would have no choice but to comply.

Damn it, this was exactly what he was trying to prevent.

The lights within the building seemed to be growing brighter, probably mocking him in the fact that he was now going to work twice as hard to infiltrate the villa if everyone was still awake. Sasuke sighed as his radio gave a low hum of static, and he decided to wait for the rest of the team before proceeding. They were almost here, anyway.

Kakashi and Naruto must have doubled their speed, because they arrived in less time than Sasuke had estimated. Kakashi was collected as ever, but Naruto was wild-eyed and out of breath.

"Not cool, Teme." The blond panted.

"Report." Kakashi ordered.

"There's no one around the villa. No guards, no shinobi…it's too still."

Naruto collected himself, then stood up with a serious look on his face. "There's some commotion inside." He told them, using Kyuubi's hearing to its full extent.

"Good or bad?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto shook his head. "I can't make it out from this distance. But something's…" he fidgeted a little, with a confused look on his face. "Something's off…but I can't quite…" He then paused rather abruptly, his body on full alert. The men beside him tensed, waiting for the news. Naruto sniffed the air. "Smoke."

Not long after, the smell hit the other two ninja. That was the only indication they needed before they all began racing down the cliff side, Kakashi and Naruto somehow managing to keep closer to Sasuke than they had before.

"Damn it, how could we have missed that?" Naruto asked via radio.

Sasuke growled. How could _he_ have missed that? He'd been standing on that cliff for minutes and the fact the place would be on fire never occurred to him. The outside had looked so _normal_. He mentally chose to blame Naruto for being slow.

There were a few loud cracking and creaking sounds, and then it sounded as if the building had collapsed on itself. Sasuke went faster through the forest surrounding the villa, not liking that he couldn't see what was happening one bit.

The only warning he got was the twinge of panic Sasuke _knew_ didn't belong to him. He didn't even have time to decipher what it meant before a gust of scorching wind blew him clear off his feet. Sasuke's body flew backwards and he barely managed to catch himself upright. Naruto ended up on his back a little ways away and Kakashi had planted his feet on a tree trunk and was now parallel to the ground.

Sasuke felt his eyes go crimson as he looked upward at the once serene night sky. He could see giant orange flames licking the starry sky, which was almost entirely blackened by the thick smoke. For one of the few times in his life, Sasuke found himself speechless and struggling to breathe.

Naruto was already in tears.

The remaining journey to the villa was quiet. It took them longer than any of them would have liked, considering they had to dodge the aftermath of the explosion. Flaming limbs threatening to consume the trees they were attached to, felled trees that were now entirely black, even trees bent over in the middle, their tops now touching the ground. The further they went, the hotter it became, and the Jounin were sweating before the remnants of the villa came into view.

They came to an area that had once been dense forest, but now held nothing but scorched tree stumps, the trees smoldering on the ground or blown away entirely. They had to walk this to avoid places on the ground that were still red hot and threatening to ignite their clothes at any moment. Beyond this wasteland held the pitiful ruins of Cain's villa, one half standing on its own and even that was threatening to collapse.

The explosion had apparently blown mostly sideways, as it had mostly obliterated this half of the villa. Only a few stray inner walls still held. But besides those, the entire inside of the structure had been obliterated. From where the men stood, they could see the far wall of the mansion without any obstructions in their way.

They stood at the edge of where an outside wall used to be, not even knowing where to start. Sasuke closed his eyes and reached out to his pink haired teammate, trying to go beyond the severed threads of their bond to find her, to see if she was still alive.

He felt nothing.

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **And so ends another chapter of Laying Claim. I know you all probably hate me for taking so long, but I promise you I really meant to actually finish this and Dear Annie by December, but then I got unexpectedly busy. And by busy I'm not talking about the occasional work that leaves me too tired to write, I'm talking _busy busy_. It pains me to say this, but the next update of this story will be the last chapter, which is really depressing. But I'm not one of those writers that carries it too far when all the book needs is a really good ending and left it at that. I know I said in an earlier chapter that there would be a sequel, but please refer to the statement before this one. Besides, if you've read Catch 22, I was planning to use Chapter 6 as the sequel to this, but it just fit so much better over there. Alas, fear not, as I have another story that you (and I) will get to obsess over after Laying Claim is finished, and I will put a little sneak preview in the next chapter at the bottom. As always, please review and let me know what you think. I hope you all stay very blessed and healthy in 2012.


	18. Love is a Song

**Author's Notes: **Well everyone, this is it! Thank you for being patient with me and for being loyal with this story. It means more than you will ever know. At the end of the chapter, after the author's notes, there is a sneak preview to my new story, _Love and in War_, which will be up very soon.

**Title Reference for Chapter Eighteen: **"Love is a Song" from _Bambi_

**.**

**.**

Title: Laying Claim

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) An ancient law in Konoha permits people from prominent clans to buy people who aren't from clans at all. Unfortunately, Sakura just refused to believe it until her mentor confirmed that, yes, she was now owned by Uchiha Sasuke.

Pairings: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 18: Love is a Song

**.**

**.**

Sasuke choked on the dense smoke as it filled his lungs, his eyes watering, and the small hairs on his body sticking up due to the intense heat that surrounded them. None of the three shinobi of Team 7 had moved from their spot at the edge of what used to be one of the villa's outside walls. The area around them must have once been beautiful, with remnants of flower beds and trimmed hedges that were now blackened or smoldering. The once tidy grass crunched under their feet when they stepped on it, like dead leaves in autumn.

They couldn't move, couldn't even breathe hardly. Logically, Sasuke knew that it was dangerous to stand in a barren wasteland of flames, when any motion threatened to send sparks flying into their face or clothes. Any other time, they would move someplace cooler until the worst had passed, or at least been working their way through the debris to complete the mission and then high tail it out of there. Any other time, Sasuke would reflect how the heat of fire reminded him of the Uchiha clan and their Katon jutsus. Any other time, Kakashi would have barked orders to his team to _do _something.

But this wasn't any other time.

Because any other time, Sakura would have been next to them, telling them to put something over their face to avoid breathing in the smoke. Or she would have advised them to step away from the inferno to prevent burns…but she wasn't here.

Sasuke searched for chakra in the area to find any sign of life, but there wasn't any, none that he could sense anyway. He turned to Naruto to see that the blond had practically read his mind, the stirring of wind signifying his change into Sage Mode. Naruto's pupils were yellow and there was a hint of orange around his eyes. He was searching, tears already rolling down his cheeks.

It was Naruto who really moved first, sinking to his knees and fisting his hands in the charred dirt. "_WHY?_" He roared. And then even Sasuke felt his chest constrict at the heart-wrenching sobs. "Sakura-chan…"

A hand landed on the Uchiha's shoulder, and charcoal eyes turned towards his sensei. "Sasuke…" Kakashi asked, his hitai-ate pulled up and the Sharingan spinning, revealing that the white haired man had been searching for a sign as well. "Do you feel…anything?"

Sasuke took a moment to answer, desperately trying to reach out to Sakura in that time. Slowly, he shook his head.

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes snapped up, and he was on his feet in an instant. Before either Sharingan user could ask him what it was, the blonde had already jumped to a place in the center of the burning wreckage. "Here!" He yelled. "There's someone alive over here!" He pulled a bed frame off of the pile and kept digging, the other two joining him in mere seconds. They dug through the wood, feeling it scorch their hands through their gloves but not seeming to care in the least.

It was Sasuke who saw the cloth first, and he desperately tried to clear off the rest of the body. When he could take it no longer, he grabbed the arm and gently pulled upward, immediately knowing from the feel of muscles who it wasn't. It was a guard dressed in all black, his heartbeat slow and fading. The missing nin was yanked from his hold and Naruto shook him a few times. "Where is she? Where is Sakura-chan?" The man didn't have a chance to answer, since his heart gave out on him and he went limp. Naruto let out another cry of pain towards the sky, dropping out of Sage Mode.

Sasuke shivered as something horrific passed through him, and he sunk to the debris, his body thankful it was only warm and not burning and his mind not caring. He saw a bit of movement in the corner of his eye and he snapped his attention to it, hopeful, but it was only one of the snakes he dispatched earlier.

"_Uchiha-sama_." The cobra hissed.

"Report." He barked to his summons, not sounding unlike Kakashi had just a few long minutes earlier.

"_By the time we arrived, the structure was already on fire. We found Haruno-san with that man. He was hurting her so we killed him, per your orders._"

"And Sakura?" His heart was pounding in his chest, and he noticed Naruto and Kakashi were standing over him anxiously, waiting for good news. Sasuke wanted the cobra to say that they had escaped with the medic, and were somewhere out of sensing range. _Tell me anything,_ Sasuke thought, _just don't say…_

The snake ducked its head. "_More men attacked at the front door…Haruno-san escaped back into the building while we dealt with them._"

"So…she…" He couldn't say anything more than that.

"_She was definitely inside during the explosion, we have not found her body—_" Naruto wailed. "_—outside_."

"Could she have gotten away from the blast?" Kakashi asked.

The snake shook his head. "_She was too badly wounded, and her chakra levels were low._"

"There's no other way she could have…?"

The cobra's head sunk and he looked about as depressed as a snake could. "_Forgive us, Uchiha-sama…_"

Naruto sunk down next to Sasuke as the snake disappeared with a small cloud of smoke. The blond boy was wailing, tears rolling down his cheeks. Sasuke saw that Kakashi wasn't doing so well either, since his breath was coming out shakily, his eyes revealing his heartbreak.

As for Sasuke, he knew he should have been in tears, but they hadn't come yet. The worst part about it was that he didn't feel numb, either. He felt like there were claws scraping at his heart, his stomach churned uncomfortably, his mind kept flashing images of her…it was like each part of his body was conspiring to make this the most painful experience possible. He couldn't stop the thoughts of _what if_ and _if I'd only_, thinking of all the things he could have done to avoid this moment.

When he started to cry, he didn't mistake it for the rain he craved to put out this damnable inferno. He wasn't numb enough not to feel the way that his eyes prickled, the way that the first tear rolled down his face, making a visible track in the soot. He had been surprised at the memory that had caused him to finally give…thinking of pink hair splayed across his sheets, her face illuminated by only moonlight as she had slept against his shoulder uneasily. That had been four nights ago…the last night she'd spent in his bed before moving back to her own apartment. All he could do was respect her wishes, since there hadn't been any trouble then. He doubted that she knew it had felt like he'd taken a kunai to the chest when she told him she was leaving. Despite that, he'd let her…fighting the child within him that wanted to demand that she stay, because she was _his_.

_You're an idiot_. A little voice inside his head whispered, and Sasuke was compelled to agree. He never should have let go of her.

_Sakura_…he thought, running a trembling hand through his hair, trying not to completely lose it and failing. How was he going to continue without her? The mere idea seemed impossible to imagine. He would wake up and reach towards her, only to realize that there wasn't anyone there and there never would be again. No…he _needed_ her. How could she die? She couldn't be dead because he still _needed _her!

_Sakura…please…_

Naruto snapped his head up in full Sage Mode about the time Sasuke felt it. There was a ghost feeling of pain that he would have brushed off on any other occasion, but this felt too similar to the feelings he'd gotten earlier that day. He and Naruto scrambled up, Sasuke following the blond to a pile of debris.

"She's alive!" The blonde yelled, pulling what was once an oak door off of the pile. "I can feel her chakra!"

Kakashi joined in, the men pulling off whatever was in reach. Naruto occasionally called out the kunoichi's name, but she never answered him. Sasuke felt a panic settle in his chest. What if Naruto was wrong? What if he had just been imagining things to convince himself she was alive? Were they getting their hopes up again?

The panic doubled when Sasuke realized they were getting close to the bottom of the pile, and there was still no sign of the medic.

"_No_!" Naruto screamed, pulling things off with more haste than before. "You have to be here Sakura-chan! You _can't die on us_!"

They reached the bottom and there was still no sign of her. It was Naruto who still insisted that he could sense her…that the Sage Mode was more reliable than this. And, Sasuke would never thought he would be so grateful to have the blond around, because it was Naruto who turned over the bathtub at the bottom of the pile.

Sasuke had never been so happy to see pink.

She was _there_.

The Uchiha picked her up slowly under her arms, leaning her against him while he felt for a pulse. His fingers slid along the side of her neck and found that, while weak, her heart was beating. She groaned a little in his arms, and green eyes slowly and tiredly flickered open. It took her a moment to recognize him, but once she did Sasuke saw a small smile stretch across her face.

"You came…" She said weakly.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled. "You're alive! Are you okay? How do you feel? Do you need…um…oh…" Naruto's statement ended with a slight splutter and a blush across his face that had nothing to do with the heat surrounding them. Sakura had reached up, grabbed the hair at the back of Sasuke's neck, and had pulled him down so that his lips met hers in a rather bruising kiss.

Sasuke held onto her, closing his eyes and not caring that his teammates were witnessing this rather intimate moment. He couldn't care less about them right now, because having Sakura in his arms…kissing him with probably what remained of her strength, was like breathing clean air in the middle of all the smoke.

The kiss didn't last long. In fact, Sakura parted from him much too quickly for his liking, giving him one last look before collapsing against him.

**.**

**.**

Sakura's instincts drew her awake when she felt water on her skin and a presence at her side. She inhaled sharply in slight panic, trying to push the arms away from her and open her eyes as fast as she could. Unfortunately, the drugs were still very active inside her system, so all she managed to pull off was a weak squirm and a whimper.

"Sakura?" A voice asked, and the vibrations from his chest pressed against her side made her shiver. "Sakura, look at me."

Sakura slowly opened her eyes and looked up into onyx pools lined with worry. She was sitting between his legs sideways, so he could easily hold her up with one arm. They were in what looked to be a hotel shower, sitting on the dark tiled floor, the water from the showerhead washing over them like rain.

"Sasuke?" She asked, berating herself when her voice came out weaker than she would have liked. "What's…Where are we?"

"At a hotel a few miles inside of Hot Springs Country."

So she had been right about her location after all. That was good to know. Still, something else was bothering her.

"Where are my clothes?" She asked him seriously, noticing with a bit of tired amusement that he looked embarrassed for a moment. Although she thanked her lucky stars that she wasn't naked. Her bra and panties were still on, and he'd laid a towel across her front for her, which she promptly held onto. Sasuke himself looked to only be in a pair of pants and she blushed a little since her entire left side was flush with his bare torso.

"We had to wash the blood off of you to clean your wounds properly. This was the easiest way to do it."

"You couldn't get Ino to do this?"

He shook his head. "They're half a days travel away, and once we found you the other teams were sent back to Konoha. And…I figured you wouldn't want Kakashi or the dobe doing this."

Sakura thought for a moment and nodded. She would feel far too awkward around either one of those choices, and she wasn't sure which was the lesser of two evils. She was glad Sasuke volunteered, otherwise she would be having a very different conversation right now.

"Thanks," Sakura said quietly. She tentatively took the washcloth from his hand. "I can take over now." He allowed her to start scrubbing the blood from her arms and legs, but he didn't move from his position. Actually, his arm was just about the only thing keeping her upright. She was moving slower than she would have liked, and she feared if she shut her eyes for too long she would succumb to the drug's effects again.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked after a long minute between them.

"I think so." The medic said after a quick assessment of her wounds. "The only really bad cuts I have are the one on my side and the ones that Cain…the ones here." She gestured to her hip and thigh. She lightly washed the excess blood away from her thigh, watching as the water ran pink down the drain. How much blood had actually been on her? She surely hadn't bled this much.

Soon the water was running mostly clear, with only a little bit of blood remaining on her arms now. Sakura could feel herself slowing down, the results of using up energy she really didn't have in the first place. Sasuke must have noticed this too, because he took back the washcloth to finish her arms. Green eyes blinked at him for a few moments, thinking about arguing, but eventually she talked herself out of it. The kunoichi lowered her head to rest against his shoulder, closing her eyes and sighing at the soothing motions of Sasuke's hands.

Sakura heard a sudden _plop_, and only vaguely registered that it had been the sound of the washcloth falling to the shower floor. She thought nothing of it, until one of Sasuke's arms slid up her back and into her hair, pulling her upright again. Sakura couldn't even open her eyes before she was suddenly being kissed. His mouth wasn't moving, but that didn't stop the heat of the action from sending shocks down her spine. Sakura shivered, very much aware that she was still pressed against him. The Uchiha pulled away slightly, only to give her another short kiss a second later before resting his forehead against hers. He stayed like that for a long moment, collecting his frayed nerves, as if just affirming to himself that she was _here_ and breathing and so very much alive.

"I thought you were dead." He whispered, and Sakura barely heard it over the water.

"For a minute, so did I." Sakura admitted.

"I felt your fear, but I couldn't—_can't—_sense you anymore."

Sakura nodded. "I tried to find you the first day, but I couldn't."

"I know." He said, his arms tightening around her back. "I tried, too."

The pink haired woman didn't know where all this was coming from, but everything coming out of his mouth made her feel cared for. He had been worried for her. Uchiha Sasuke, who had practically remained emotionless throughout his entire childhood, was admitting to her that he had been worried. She'd had faith in him the entire time, knowing that he was out there looking for her, doing his very best to find her and bring her home safely.

"I knew you'd come." Sakura said quietly.

"We were almost too late." He said. "How did you escape the blast?"

The medic swallowed, thinking about the fear that had overwhelmed her when she knew she was about to die. "I used the last of my chakra to punch a wall out. It was just dumb luck that it was a bathroom." She really didn't remember the actual explosion, just diving for the tub. The next thing she knew, she was in a lot of pain and she was in Sasuke's arms. And then she vaguely remembered Naruto's babbling and then—

Sakura drew in a sharp breath, her face flushing. She had kissed him! Of course it appeared he had been fine with it, since he had just kissed her back, but she didn't really remember that much about it. If she had more energy, she would have slapped her head to her forehead. What rotten luck that she didn't even remember her first kiss with Sasuke.

She saw him looking at her strangely. "I remember waking up after the blast and then…" She couldn't say it, because she was going to start stuttering in embarrassment. What on earth had she been thinking? Of course this was probably not the best place to talk about it, since she was half naked and sitting in Sasuke's lap.

"It wasn't the first time." He said, and Sakura snapped her eyes to his.

"What do you mean," she began almost dangerously, "it wasn't the first time?"

"When you were drunk…"

"I knew it!" She exclaimed. "I knew you were holding back on me! Damn it, Sasuke, what else did I do?"

His mouth twitched upwards. "Let's just say it's a shame you don't remember anything."

She glowered at him, but didn't have time to say anything else, because there was a sudden knock at the door. "Sakura-chan! Are you okay?" Naruto's concerned voice filtered in, and his voice was loud enough that she could hear him through the door and over the sound of the water.

"She's fine, dobe." Sasuke ground out. Then, he sighed. "Are you ready to get out? He's probably going to break down the door if we stay in here any longer."

Sakura nodded. If they stayed in here any longer, she was going to either kill Sasuke or kiss him again, maybe both and probably in that order. She did want to see the rest of her team, anyway, since she was sure they had been just as concerned for her wellbeing.

Sasuke stood up, somehow managing to keep her in his arms the entire time, something she just had to attribute to his shinobi strength and balance. The towel around her middle slipped off in the process, but to his credit, Sasuke didn't look. Of course, if what he said about the night she had gotten drunk was true, it wasn't the first time he had seen her in her underwear. He set her down on a bathmat, waiting until she had her balance and was able to stand on her own before releasing her. He handed her a towel and said he was going to get her some dry clothes.

He stepped out of the bathroom and was almost immediately tackled by a rather frantically worried blond. In fact, he had to dig his feet into the floor to keep Naruto from seeing anything that he really had no business seeing, almost slamming the bathroom door to accomplish this.

Sakura could hear the argument through the door.

"She'll be _fine_, idiot."

"I want to see her!"

"No."

"Oh, so you get to see her half naked, but the rest of us—" There was a loud _thump_ followed by an, "Ow! Damn it, bastard! It's not like I wanted to go in there for that! Although it's still not fair—" The sound of someone hitting something made its way to the bathroom again, right before a string of loud profanities from Naruto that made Sakura giggle.

When Sasuke came back in, his eye was twitching.

He put a set of what looked like his clothes and some gauze for her wounds on the counter, and frowned at the way she had to support herself on said counter. He asked her if she felt strong enough to change by herself, which made Sakura blush as she told him she felt fine. It was a bit of a half-truth, to be honest, as she still felt a little shaky on her feet, but there was no way Sasuke was going to help her get dressed. It had been embarrassing enough waking up in only her underwear. He looked like he knew she was lying, but didn't press the issue and left to give her some privacy.

She dressed her wounds and changed slowly, panting a little and trying to avoid the black spots that danced in front of her eyes. The drugs were working their way out of her system far too slowly for her liking. She was still tired, but she really didn't want to sleep anymore. _After all_, she admitted to herself, blushing a bit. _There was so much more to do when you're awake. _She didn't quite know what to think about her teammate, or his recent actions. He could have kissed her in the moment, just glad she was alive, she mused as she rolled the end of his pants up to make them fit better. That seemed like the most likely, because the other option was that he kissed her because…well, she didn't even want to go there, because finding out he hadn't kissed her for _that_ reason would be a little crushing.

There was a knock on the door, and Sakura called out to say that she was decent. The door opened, and Sasuke came in, took one look at her in his clothes, and Sakura saw his eyes look her over as relief and something else showed through his normally stoic façade. Her heart fluttered in anticipation and nervousness as he strolled into the bathroom, and the next thing she knew, he had backed her against the counter.

He was close, Sakura thought dazedly. Both of his arms went past her to brace himself on the counter, and he leaned in far enough that she could smell the way he was all wild and masculine. She bit her lip a little, and out of reflex brought her hands to his chest, Inner Sakura lamenting that he had changed into dry clothes as well, which unfortunately meant a shirt. Still, she could feel the muscles underneath the fabric, and the way that they jumped at her touch.

The look in his eyes was also completely masculine, as there was something intense and hungry lying in those black depths. It was a strange thing to feel so desirable, even though she had looked in the mirror and had seen that she looked like hell. But here he was, looking at her and making her skin tingle without even touching her.

He leaned into her further, and put his temple against hers so very gently. Sakura's eyes fluttered shut, and she unconsciously nuzzled his head before leaning against him. Almost tentatively, her hands clenched in his shirt. He let out a long breath through his nose, and the kunoichi shivered when it ghosted across the top of her ear and through her damp hair. Having him here like this, with her, felt more intimate than the kiss earlier.

Sasuke was so warm and solid. She had been so scared over the past few days, terrified of what Cain could do to her. Having the Uchiha wrapped around her made her feel safe for the first time in days. How many times had she wished for him since she had been kidnapped? How many times had she longed for him to rescue her? Or even just to see him again so he could tell her everything was going to be okay?

Sakura's lower lip wobbled, and she pressed her mouth together to keep from crying. It didn't help though, and a tear slipped down her cheek. Her breathing hitched, and she gave a silent curse. She really didn't want to do this in front of him.

He pulled back from her, but Sakura kept her eyes closed and she didn't move. He wiped the tear track away from her face. "It's over, Sakura." He told her, dropping a kiss to her forehead. "You're safe."

Sakura nodded, but that didn't help her stop crying. How was it that he always knew what she needed to hear?

He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her back. She didn't sob, because having him around her was enough. She needed a moment to feel small before she could move on, and he gave it to her, acting as her anchor and her protector. He set his head on top of hers and didn't say anything.

Sakura didn't move even when she stopped crying. Using that much energy to cry had been a mistake, she discovered, because she was just exhausted now. She clutched onto Sasuke's shirt tighter to keep herself upright, because she didn't want to let go of him. After a few more minutes, she realized if she didn't lay down soon, she was going to collapse again. Damn that stupid man and his stupid drugs and his stupid jutsu—

"What man?" Sasuke asked. Sakura hadn't realized she had been cursing him aloud.

"The man who…who bound me to Cain." Her voice was quiet. "He tried to knock me out so he could sell me back to you. The drugs haven't fully metabolized yet."

He was quiet for a moment, and since she wasn't looking at his face, it was impossible to tell exactly what was going through his mind. "I would have done it." He said, his voice low enough that she felt the rumble in his chest. "I would have bought you again."

Sakura pulled back far enough to look into his eyes, and she saw that he was being entirely sincere. He would have paid whatever ridiculous amount the man was asking just to get her back. Her eyes widened a fraction. "Sasuke…" She breathed.

Someone cleared their throat, and Sakura jumped a little, startled out of the moment. She realized for the first time that the bathroom door had been open the entire time, and blushed at the sight of Kakashi standing there. Despite his mask, she could tell he was smirking knowingly. Had he been listening the entire time?

"Glad to see you're okay, Sakura." He said, ignoring the way his female student looked embarrassed that she had been caught in the middle of such an intimate moment. Sasuke just looked a little annoyed. "I sent Naruto for food to keep him bouncing off the walls."

Sasuke muttered something derogatory under his breath before picking the medic up and carrying her off into the main room, laying her down on the bed. Sakura glowered at him a little bit, since she could have probably walked, it just would have taken a lot longer. Kakashi talked with her for a minute before Naruto came into the room, out of breath. When he saw that the Uchiha was not monopolizing Sakura, he just barely managed not to drop any of the food in his haste to get to her. He set it down and almost jumped on her. He would have done it, too, except Sasuke was a lot faster, and grabbed the back of his jacket.

"It's fine, Sasuke." Sakura said, wanting to at least assure Naruto that she was really alright before the drugs pulled her into sleep once more. It was a miracle she'd managed to stay awake this long. He did end up jumping on her, but managed to avoid all of her wounds so it really didn't hurt. Sasuke looked like he was itching to reach for his sword.

Naruto began to babble, the gist of which was that he was worried that she was dead and he had been scared for her and the bastard had been a bastard, but he had really been worried, too. Sakura hugged him back, assuring him that she was alright, and barely managed not to cry. This feat became harder when Naruto started crying, and Sakura ended up letting a few tears slip.

Sakura didn't know when she drifted off, but the next thing she knew her ninja senses were pressing her to wake up. It appeared to be the middle of the night, and she panicked for a second when there was a figure beside her in the dark, but then she calmed as she recognized the hair. It was Sasuke.

He turned the lamp on to its dimmest setting, but that didn't stop her from cursing the light anyway. She grumbled and let out a few choice words.

"You've got to eat something." He said, helping her sit up before pushing a warm bowl of ramen in her hands, which she suspected had been reheated from Naruto's earlier trip to get food. It was typical, but that didn't stop her mouth from watering.

"Where is everyone?" She asked, taking a bite of noodle.

"In another room." He said.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, and almost inhaled her ramen when she realized the other side of the bed had obviously been slept in, which meant Sasuke had been with her the entire time and she hadn't even realized it. She didn't know why she was suddenly embarrassed, it's not like they hadn't ever shared a bed before, but she couldn't meet his eyes. She did, however, manage to see in her peripheral vision that Sasuke was smirking.

He gave her water when she was done with the ramen, and she drank all of it, not realizing how thirsty she had been. He helped her back into a sleeping position and it was seconds after he turned out the light that she was asleep again.

The next time she woke up was a few hours later, when the sun was barely above the horizon line. She was obviously the last one up, too, because Naruto and Kakashi were silently moving around her room, packing. Sasuke was picking her up.

"Where are we going?" She asked sleepily.

"Home." He said.

**.**

**.**

Sakura spent the trip mostly on Sasuke's back. He would have insisted that she rest while they took their breaks, but she argued with him a little bit, insisting on walking around. Sleeping so long felt unnatural, and she really wanted to at least stay awake while the rest of her team was. She tried to stay conscious throughout the journey home, as well, but occasionally she would catch herself waking up and wondering when she had dozed off.

After they reached Konoha, Sakura spent a very restless two days inside the hospital. They had healed her wounds the first day and had hooked her up to an IV with an antidote that would take the remaining drugs out of her system. By the end of the second day, she was practically bouncing off the walls trying to get out. She felt great, she told them, she was ready to leave. They said they'd had it on strict orders from the Hokage not to let her go until five, and before then she was to rest.

It turned out Sakura could only stand being in the hospital when she wasn't a patient.

Sasuke showed up at five. He didn't seem surprised by her enthusiasm to want to get the hell out of there, because as a general rule no shinobi liked being in the hospital for too long. Apparently, she had finally rested enough for his liking, because he didn't protest when she started to walk beside him. She hesitated for a moment when she recognized where he was leading her: back to the Uchiha Compound. Her eyes widened for a moment, and she stopped dead in the middle of the road.

He turned around to see why she had stopped. "Coming?" He asked, expecting her to follow. With that, Sakura realized he was silently asking her to stay with him again. This was probably just as well, because Sakura really hadn't looked forward to going back to her cold apartment, remembering the few nights she had spent there and had reached across the bed to Sasuke only to find he wasn't there.

She thought that it was going to be a little awkward for the first few days, but they slipped back into old routines easily enough. Really, the only thing different was that their dinner had been a little quiet. Sakura took the first shower, scrubbing her hair with shampoo and conditioner, and winced when she realized that she should have probably left more hot water for Sasuke. She got dressed in some of his clothes, as she had taken all of hers with her to her apartment when she'd moved out.

Sakura offered to finish cleaning the dishes from dinner while Sasuke showered, and the cleaning motions were a little soothing. The truth was, she had no idea where she and Sasuke stood. True, he had been more…_attentive_ over the last few days, but Sakura just attributed that to her being alive after a few heart-wrenching moments when everyone thought she had died. And, it wasn't like the rest of her team hadn't been there over the past few days. Naruto had stayed in her hospital room until they had kicked him out.

But with Sasuke, it was a little different. His attentiveness was more obvious because he was normally so stoic. And, of course, there was the little fact that he used to be her owner—

All thoughts flew out of her head as a thought came to mind, and the dry plate in her hand slipped from her fingers and clattered back into the soapy water in the sink. Back when she had woken up in the shower with him, he'd said, "Look at me," and there wasn't…there hadn't been…

Dropping everything, Sakura raced to his room. She heard the shower still running and began pacing until he got out. When that took awhile, she sat down on the bed and tapped her foot, wringing her hands. Finally, he came out of the bathroom. She thanked the heavens he was completely dressed.

"Hey Sasuke." She said, calling his attention to her. "Order me to do something."

He lifted one eyebrow at that. "Why?" He asked, running a hand through his damp hair.

"I want to see something."

He rolled his eyes a little, but nevertheless said, "Sakura, come here."

A few moments went by and Sakura blinked from her position on the bed. There was nothing. No tug inside of her to respond to him. There was nothing even special that happened. It felt like it could have been anyone asking her to come to them. It didn't feel like it was coming from an…owner. Most importantly, there was no shock of pain when she failed to comply.

She gaped for a minute before she felt her eyes get a little glassy. She stood up excitedly, looking at Sasuke who had both eyebrows raised now. "Do it again!" She practically squealed.

"Come here."

Sakura's smile widened when, again, there was no reaction to his obvious command. She could barely believe this was happening! "I'm free…" She breathed out, barely able to contain her excitement. She wasn't bound to Sasuke anymore!

She didn't notice how close Sasuke had gotten until he lifted her chin with a finger. "And if I still want you to be mine?"

Sakura's excitement stopped as her brain suddenly shut down. Her eyes widened at his question, and her stomach developed instant butterflies. Did he really mean…? There was a part of her that hoped…and then a tiny part that wondered if he still wanted her as a possession. Her eyes glanced downward at this last thought. "Be careful, Sasuke." She said. "If you keep talking like that, people are going to start thinking that you…love me."

"And what if I do?"

Her shocked eyes met his again, all coherent thought leaving her as she gaped at him. She had dreamed of this moment countless times in her childhood. She had thought about each way that he would confess his feelings to her, and for every different scenario she had the perfect response planned. Sakura had always imagined she would reply with something that would just melt his heart away, or something achingly sincere as she told him she loved him back. But she found out that none of that had helped her when it came to the real thing. Here he was, telling her he loved her, and none of the scenarios she had planned in her youth even remotely compared to the real thing. She imagined that she would get all excited, but the actual reaction was so much more powerful than that.

She felt loved. Suddenly, she _wanted_ to belong to him again. She wanted to spend every night beside him, wrapped in his arms. She wanted to be here…with him and no one else. There _was_ no one else. There was only him, and there would only ever be him. The way he looked at her right now was so intense, and there was no rational thought in her head. She just _knew_ what her answer was, what it had been since the beginning.

"Does that mean," Sakura asked, collecting herself. "That you belong to me, too?"

It was the first time Sakura had ever seen him truly smile. "Yes." He said. "That's exactly what it means." And he didn't give her a chance to respond to that, because he tilted his head downward and kissed her gently. She had always imagined that he would kiss her passionately at this moment, but she found that this meant so much more. The heat rolled down her spine, and the gentleness from the kiss didn't stop her heart from speeding up. His hand cradled her jaw and the other hand came to rest at the small of her back pulling her closer to him, and she shivered, drawing her hands up his chest and around his neck. Her knees went weak, but that didn't stop her from kissing him back.

They broke apart, and Sakura eyes blinked open languidly as she felt both of his arms around her, holding her to him. None of the fantasies she had ever concocted had been even remotely close to the real thing.

"When did you…"

"When you told me you were leaving. I almost made you stay."

"I really hate to say this," she began, "but it's probably for the best that you didn't. I really hate everything that happened, but…"

"You're free." He finished for her.

"Not anymore, apparently." She joked, and smiled widely at him. "But make no mistake, Uchiha Sasuke…" she leaned in close to his ear. "You are _mine_."

He pulled back and gave her a scrutinizing look. "Are you sure you don't remember anything from the night you got drunk?"

Sakura tensed in his arms. "What did I do?" She half screeched. "Damn it Sasuke, tell me!"

She went very, _very_ still when he started to smirk, his gaze turning into something wicked and predatory. Her heart started to beat faster, and she realized that no part of this relationship would ever be boring. "I think…I should _show_ you instead." Sasuke said, and he gave her that passionate kiss that she had always fantasized about.

And Sakura thought that, just maybe, belonging to him again wouldn't be so bad. She would always be his, and this time, he was hers.

**.**

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**The End**

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**Author's Notes: **Before you do anything else, go listen to the reprise of "Love is a Song" from _Bambi_. It is just beautiful, and it is the perfect ending, even more so than I could write. Thank you so much to everyone. I appreciate your enthusiasm, your critiques, your demands for me to keep going…all of it has been a wonderful part of this experience, and I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I loved writing it. Again, thank you.

As promised, here is a sneak preview to my new story, which is coming very soon.

_Love and in War_

Chapter 1: Once Upon A Time

The news that the Prince of Konohagakure was coming had been the most exciting announcement since the end of the war. The gossip spread like wildfire and no one was immune. The first I'd heard of it had been due to the televisions at the bar I worked at, which were always tuned to either news or sports. Since the start of the war, the news had been popular. Now that the war was over, I was slowly getting back my knowledge of which football teams were going into the semi-finals.

I'd first seen him on that screen. He had been walking along the army base with his Captain, who was a lanky man with silver hair. The Prince was in full military uniform looking as polite as he could having a camera follow his movements, but I could detect a subtle agitation in his eyes. Seeing him for the first time, I nearly spilled a pitcher of beer all over a table of college frat boys. I hadn't grown up with a television, so the most I'd heard about the Konoha Royal Family had been word of mouth. They said he was handsome, I just didn't expect obsidian pools to be able to pull me in across a _television set_ of all things. I could only imagine what meeting him in person would be like. The thought alone makes me shudder.

Of course, living in an all-girls dorm makes me all too aware of when he is visiting. I have seen girls get their hair cut, their nails done, and their legs waxed just in case they happen to meet the Prince. There was no solace in my own room since my roommate was practically obsessed with him. In fact, he was coming so that he could be given medals for his bravery in the war, and Tayuya was already planning to be outside the ceremony hall if she somehow couldn't sneak in. I have even seen her skip classes while she goes shopping for new clothes. I want to tell her she's being silly, that there will be tons of security around him since he's in a foreign country, but she will probably say something nasty and I would like to avoid that particular conflict.

Prince Sasuke had already arrived in the country, so she was constantly online trying to see where he was staying. I rolled my eyes at her when she wasn't looking. Personally, I thought the whole obsession was a little stupid. He is just a human, no matter what title he has. He may be royalty, but that doesn't really mean that his life is worth more than anyone else's. I'll give him my respect—I figure he's earned it since he's actually fighting in wars as opposed to being pampered all the time—but I won't treat him like some god.

Of course, that was before I'd seen him the first time. I'll admit that I didn't expect to feel the magnetic pull of attraction—I thought I was above all those other girls—but I could see why they were so obsessed. _Still_, my mind reasoned, _he's just a person. No matter how attractive he is._

Behind the bar's usual weekday chatter, I listened to the local football team lose while hefting a pint of beer and chilled glasses on a tray. _Hidden Sound_ was the only place I could get a job. I figured this was because my exotic colorings would likely bring more customers, which it did and my supervisor had been thrilled. Truthfully, I would rather work anywhere but here, since the fact that people thought I was foreign got me hit on twice as much. I was sick and tired of restraining myself from smashing dinner plates over customers who got a little too hands on. Though admittedly, this was one of the cleanest bars in Oto that I could work at. If possible, the rest of them seemed even seedier.

The first thing that I was going to do when I had money was to leave the Land of Rice Fields for good. I really wanted to go to Konoha, but anywhere else would be fine. The air in Oto was stale and smelled like prison. But I would be stuck here for a while. After I got my undergrad degree in Biology, it was off to Otogakure University's med school. OU wasn't my first choice, but it was the only one that I could afford with my own wages and the money I'd inherited when my parents died.

I forced out a smile as I took orders from the next table, my fingers twitching when a hand purposely brushed mine when the customer handed me his menu. _This job doesn't pay enough_, I thought.

I clocked out of _Hidden Sound_ at nine, stretching a little when I felt the bonds of work release me. I walked out of the side entrance and breathed in a little of the fresh air, wincing as I smelled the taint of the city along with it. Nothing could ever compare to the crisp air of the country, but since I wasn't returning to my hometown I'd better get used to it.

I walked out of the small alley and onto a street that would lead to the main road, tugging the white fitted shirt of my uniform to cover more of my body as I did so. This street was quiet, much quieter than it ever is on the weekends. Downtown Oto was miserable on the weekends, as college kids and businessmen all took the time to drink and party. It was actually safer walking around on those nights, because the police were always around looking for disorderly conduct. On a Wednesday night though, the streets were quiet as most of the businesses closed for the night. I had to walk with my head high and ignore the human shadows lurking in the corners, steeling myself to look like I wouldn't be afraid to fight back if need be. No one would be around to hear me scream. Of course, the citizens of Oto tended to turn a deaf ear onto cries of help.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed by arm and forced my back against the side of a brick building. My teeth rattled and I forced my head forward so that it couldn't bounce off the wall and possibly give me a concussion. The pressure on my arm eased a little and I finally snapped open my eyes to look at my attacker. Or rather _attackers_, as I found out. There were three of them and it wasn't really hard to place them. They were known well enough that even I knew of them, and that was purely by the rumors that floated around.

Their leader, Abumi Zaku, stood in the middle with a smirk on his face. One hand was on his hip and the other had just let go of my arm. His dark eyes regarded me with wicked amusement, like someone taking glee out of torturing a bird in a cage. His two favorite lackeys stood on either side of him. Dosu wrapped in bandages as usual and Kin looking like she had better places to be.

The Abumi gang…

Of course, ask any of the aristocracy and they'd tell you that Abumi Zaku and his friends had just formed a group. Not a gang, just a group of friends who hung out together in the city. Ask anyone _else_ and they'd tell you that the Abumi gang was a deadly force to be reckoned with, and it was better not to cross them if you valued all of your body parts. They all wore light jackets, which was surprising for the exceptionally warm weather. Though when I finally saw the gun bulges under those jackets, I was surprised behind a wall of cold chills. They were known for hand to hand fighting, specifically their viciousness during the fights. I'd never heard of them carrying guns before. Not that they ever got caught. The Abumi family was _well_ connected, with Zaku's own father being a Councilman with friendly ties to the Otokage.

"Look what we caught on our turf, guys." Zaku said, grinning wickedly. "Poor little girlie must be lost."

"Ugh. Just take her money and let's go." Kin said, more interested in her nails than she was in me.

"Don't be like that, Kin." He said and the woman shot him a glare. "Fine, fine." He reached for the pockets of my black shorts and I slapped his hands away once he got uncomfortably close.

"I don't have any money." I told him. It was the truth, since everyone knew it was just stupid to carry a purse or wallet downtown. Pickpockets were everywhere, and you couldn't even cross the street without someone trying to steal money from you. I never brought any with me, since I didn't need it. I went straight to work from my dorm and then straight back to my dorm after work. I didn't need money. I kept my ID in my back pocket and buttoned the pocket, but that was all.

Kin regarded me with disgust, but Zaku only worked harder. "No money? I guess we'll have to teach you what happens to people who don't pay up."

His hand reached for me again, but higher this time, grabbing the hem of my shirt and lifting. I gasped in surprise, struggling, and Zaku clamped a hand over my mouth. I struggled harder, digging my nails into Zaku's wrist before Dosu grabbed both of my arms and pinned them above my head. Zaku gave me an, "Ah ah ah. No screaming now" and lifted my shirt higher.

I took a deep breath through my nose to steel myself for what I was about to do. I opened my mouth as much as I could, biting down on whatever skin I could reach. Zaku retracted his hand with a wince and a "bitch!" I didn't waste any time and kicked him in the groin. I watched with satisfaction as he fell to his knees cupping his privates. Dosu was watching his friend in sympathetic pain, and I'd felt him flinch after the initial hit. I took advantage of his distraction and wrenched my hands out of his, elbowing him in the cheek.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kin's fist pulled back, so I kicked her at the most vulnerable part of her pelvic bone. She doubled over and I turned back around to see Dosu coming at me again. I thrust the heel of my hand upwards into his nose—or where his nose _should be_, I can't really see for all the bandages—hearing the _crack_ I was aiming for. Zaku was slowly getting up again, and I kicked the small of his back, sending him sprawling forwards.

All three were incapacitated, so I took that as my cue to run for it.

A "get her!" followed me down the street and sent horror and adrenaline racing through my veins. I turned a corner sharply, hoping to make it to the main street where there would be more traffic. I heard footsteps running after me, but it seemed like there was only one pair. They must have split up to cut me off. I tried to quiet my footsteps, but that slowed me down too much. I took another corner, racing off away from my destination. The main street would provide more traffic, but there were fewer places to hide along the streets that led to it.

I ran for what seemed like hours, my frantic mind trying to discern the best way back to civilization. I hadn't ever been to this part of Oto before, but it was closer to the center of the city. The streets were deserted around here, having fewer shops that needed to stay open this late. I couldn't even see a convenience store to get help from. This was just my luck…to be chased into a deserted part of town and not be able to get help. I didn't have a cell phone, and I didn't even have money for a payphone.

Silence surrounded me, so I took this opportunity to lean against the building next to me to rest. I was panting from all the running, and I was trying to keep my heavy breathing as quiet as possible. I was decently in shape, but being on my feet for six hours carrying pints of beer had exhausted me. I didn't hear anything for awhile, and I hoped this meant that they'd given up.

"…can't find her…back to base…" My head snapped to the other end of the street where I head a quiet voice. My body tensed, ready to run again. "Sure…bye."

I heard footsteps, and didn't bother to wait to see whoever it was. I turned and started running, eventually hearing footsteps running after me. They were quiet, which meant that they were still a couple blocks away. That was a small comfort, at least, but not enough. I tried to run faster, picking up speed and putting another block between us, looking at the road ahead and deciding on how I was going to lose them this time.

I turned the corner into a seldom-used side street and immediately crashed into a warm body. An arm came to rest around my waist and I gasped in fear. My eyes screwed shut and my hands instinctively went to his chest—there's no way the wall of muscle I ran into could be a woman—to push him away. I wasn't expecting him to let go of me easily, but I certainly wasn't expecting the arm around me to turn to iron and hold me in place. I was stronger than the other girls I knew, and even some boys, so how could I not make this man even loosen his arm even a little?

I opened my eyes and felt them glassy with unshed tears. Please don't let it be someone from Abumi's gang, I thought. Granted, he smelled better than Zaku or his lackeys had, and when my eyes focused I could see that he dressed better too. Without my noticing, my fists had clenched in a navy blue button down shirt. I slowly trailed my eyes up towards his face looking to either see my savior or my enemy. My eyes looked upwards at his pretty features until I came to two onyx orbs that I could drown in. His black hair covered some of his face, but I immediately knew who he was.

I had just run into Prince Sasuke.

**Coming Soon.**


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